Jill Manners, associate professor and clinical education coordinator for Western Carolina University’s athletic training program, has been named the 2009 North Carolina Athletic Training Educator of the Year by the North Carolina Athletic Trainers’ Association.
Manners, a resident of Cullowhee, joined the WCU faculty in 2004. She holds a bachelor’s degree in athletic training from Ithaca College and a master’s degree in athletic training from West Virginia University.
The award is given annually to an athletic training educator who demonstrates excellence in classroom and clinical education of students enrolled in a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education. Manners will be honored at the association’s spring symposium and business meeting to be held in March in Concord.
“This award is North Carolina’s highest teaching honor for the athletic training profession,” said James R. Scifers, associate dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences, and director of WCU’s athletic training program. “In winning this award, Jill was selected from the faculty of more than 20 athletic training programs across the state.”
Western Carolina’s athletic training program combines classroom and hands-on clinical educational experiences to prepare students for careers that involve caring for physically active individuals. Certified athletic trainers work as part of health care teams in secondary schools, colleges and universities, hospitals, sports medicine clinics, industrial sites, professional sports programs and other health care settings. Graduates also often pursue advanced degrees in fields of medicine or allied health professions.
