Athletic Training

Athletic Training at Hughston Clinic Orthopaedics

The Hughston Foundation was the first training venue of its kind in sports medicine, and, in 1960, Dr. Hughston developed a fellowship to educate physicians wishing to pursue orthopaedic sports medicine. The fellowship has endured with the Foundation training sport medicine physicians and athletic trainers of the highest caliber. Dr. Jack Hughston was named an honorary member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) for his role in developing and supporting the profession of athletic training.

Dr. Hughston was also the founder of the American Journal of Sports Medicine. He supported this top-tier journal as Editor for the first 20 years of publication. Now, after 50 years, this publication is the premier journal in sports medicine. Additionally, Dr. Hughston supported the NATA’s Journal of Athletic Training with its editorial staff located at the Hughston Foundation from 1996-2013.

At Hughston Clinic Orthopaedics, athletic trainers perform a number of roles which include providing daily sports medicine coverage for local schools and community events and working alongside our physicians during clinic. Additionally, we maintain a relationship with Cumberland University’s Master of Science in Athletic Training program to help educate and mentor future athletic trainers.

Nathan Johnson

Director of Athletic Training, Hughston Clinic Orthopaedics

Nathan is a 1999 graduate of Cumberland University. He is currently the Director of Athletic Training for Hughston Clinic Orthopaedics in Tennessee. Nathan coordinates athletic training services and medical coverage for area schools and athletic events. He serves as the athletic trainer for Friendship Christian School in Lebanon and has served the Wilson County community for 25 years.

Nathan also supports his alma mater as a clinical preceptor for the Master of Science in Athletic Training program which is a role he was invited to take on in 2008 to help educate and mentor future athletic trainers at Cumberland University. In partnership with Cumberland University, Nathan coordinates athletic training continuing education events for area athletic trainers and athletic training students through the Hughston Foundation.

Nathan is a member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA), Southeast Athletic Trainers Association (SEATA) and the Tennessee Athletic Trainers’ Society (TATS). He is also involved with the “Spend a Day In My Wheels” wheelchair challenge program, the Permobil Foundation, and the National Seating and Mobility Consumer Insight Council. These programs and organizations help raise awareness about wheelchair accessibility and support the independence of wheelchair users.

Cumberland University Partnership

In 2023, Hughston Clinic Orthopaedics partnered with Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee, to become the official healthcare provider of Cumberland University athletics. Dr. Shawn Mountain, Orthopaedic Physician with Hughston Clinic Orthopaedics, serves as the team physician and the medical director for Cumberland University’s Athletic Training Education Program.

Cumberland University’s nationally accredited Master of Science in Athletic Training degree program provides a high-caliber education with added insight from Hughston Clinic’s world-class physicians, offering a unique and highly beneficial educational experience. Alongside Dr. Shawn Mountain (Medical Director), Nathan Johnson, Director of Athletic Training for Hughston Clinic Orthopaedics, and additional Hughston Clinic athletic trainers serve as clinical preceptors for the program and its students.

In 2025, the Cumberland University Master of Science in Athletic Training program hosted its first annual Honors Ceremony, where graduates were presented with awards celebrating academic and personal achievements. The event was hosted by Dr. Whitney Graves, CU’s MSAT Program Director, and Dr. Heidi Peters, CU’s Director of Clinical Education. At the ceremony, Nathan Johnson presented graduate Nicole Bott with the Nathan Johnson Award for Professional Engagement to recognize her personal and professional growth. The ceremony concluded with two graduates, Ma’Kayla Johnson and Grace Rittenberry, being inducted as Cumberland’s first chapter members of Iota Tau Alpha, the National Athletic Training Honor Society, which recognizes those in the field of athletic training for their integrity, academic performance, and achievements.

About Dr. Shawn Mountain

Dr. Mountain was born in Western New York where he lived until he left for college at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

His sports medicine experience started there where he double majored in Athletic Training and Exercise Science. He has two Mid-American Conference championships working as a student trainer with basketball and baseball. It was also at that time he did internships with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals.

After college, he was a graduate assistant athletic trainer at St. Bonaventure University. Following completion, he worked as a certified athletic trainer for two years prior to attending medical school at The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine.
He did his Orthopaedic Surgery Residence with Humility of Mary Health Partners in Warren, Ohio. Upon finishing Residency, he did a sports medicine and arthroscopy fellowship in Richmond, Virginia at the Orthopaedic Research of Virginia where he worked with Randolph Macon College and with the NFL’s Washington Redskins training camp.

After finishing the fellowship, he moved to Lebanon and joined Hughston Clinic Orthopaedics. He performs arthroscopic and general orthopedic surgery procedures including Makoplasty robotic-assisted total joint replacements. He works with area high schools and was the Physician for the National Junior High School Finals Rodeo in 2016 and 2017. He is currently the team physician for Cumberland University and Friendship Christian High School.

Athletic Training