ARLINGTON – UT Arlington Athletics officials on Wednesday announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with ZAMA, a sports psychology and mental health platform for Maverick student-athletes.
ZAMA provides access to over a 100+ science-backed modules on mental health, sports psychology, financial literacy and nutrition, in addition to connections to peers experiencing similar challenges, mindfulness tools and a network of clinicians trained on student-athlete needs.
"The mental health and wellness of our student-athletes is the foundation of their performance, and is just as important – and in many cases more so – than their physical well-being," stated UTA Director of Athletics Jon Fagg. "It is important for us to prioritize mental health to create a high-achieving environment for all of our student-athletes, and ZAMA will be a great resource and partner in helping us achieve that goal."
The collaboration between UTA and ZAMA is a pioneering enterprise as it marks ZAMA's first collegiate department-level partnership. However, more partnerships are expected to be publicly announced between ZAMA and other schools and the broader fitness community this fall.
ZAMA was co-founded by Brendan Sullivan, who drew upon personal mental health experiences during his time as captain of the track team at Yale. His other co-founder was the former associate medical director for the only inpatient eating disorder unit and general psychiatric unit in New England.
ZAMA also employs a deep bench of clinical experts and advisors, most notably Dr. Jennifer Huberty, who is spearheading ZAMA's science efforts. Dr. Huberty was the former Head of Science at Calm, the popular multi-billion-dollar meditation app.
Additionally, ZAMA also has local Texas roots as it was incubated by the Techstars Physical Health Fort Worth Accelerator.
"I'm thrilled to be working with UT Arlington's Athletic Department and their student-athletes," stated Sullivan. "I've always admired the UT system as a whole, and UT Arlington is truly a pioneer when it comes to promoting the mental health of their student-athletes. I'm grateful for the opportunity ZAMA has to support them on this mission."
Sullivan will be on campus at the end of this week for introductory sessions with UTA student-athletes. Those will initially begin with SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) members before the full launch of ZAMA to all UTA student-athletes beginning on Oct. 1.
The partnership with ZAMA marks the latest mental health advocacy initiative by UTA Athletics in as many years. Beginning last summer, UTA now has certified sport psychologists on site who are mental health professionals dedicated specifically to serve all of Maverick student-athletes.
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