Heather Ward enters her sixth year working as an Assistant Athletic Trainer for Southern Illinois University. She has worked directly with Men's and Women's Track, Field, and Cross Country for the past seven years and has worked with Volleyball team for the past three years.

As an athletic trainer she is involved in the prevention, evaluation, and rehabilitation of athletic injuries in Saluki student-athletes. She is also an Accredited Clinical Instructor for the undergraduate athletic training program which allows her to instruct and mentor the students in their progress toward a degree in athletic training.

Ward began her career at SIU as a Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer in 2000. She graduated with her Master of Science in Education degree in Physical Education with an emphasis in Sport Management in 2002.

A native of Benton, Illinois, Ward received her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana in 2000. During her time at U of I she served as a student athletic trainer with the Illini athletic training staff for 4 years. Ward resides in DeSoto.