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Collins Named Dr. Jack C. Hughston Physician of the Year by GATA




The Georgia Athletic Trainers’ Association has named Dr. Kevin Collins as the recipient of the Dr. Jack C Hughston Physician of the Year Award. Dr. Collins is with Hughston Orthopedics and serves as team physician for Valdosta State University and several high schools in the South Georgia area.


Dr. Collins, a two-time graduate of Mercer University, is known as a great physician with exceptional skills, always available and willing to step in when help is needed and dedicated to giving his athletes to the best possible care. He has been the team physician for Valdosta State for 17 years and Colquitt County High School for 12 years, but he also gives his time to Open Bible School, Lowndes High School, and Thomas University when needed. Dr. Collins is considered a great advocate for athletic trainers and brings a reassuring, calming presence into the high-stress environment that sports medicine often becomes. He is also committed to the advancement of sports medicine as whole, giving his time to educate young physicians in the Georgia South Family Medicine Residency as well as at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine while also serving on the Executive Board for the Hughston Clinic and being a member of the Hughston Society. Dr. Collins is applauded for being a man of high character with an unmatched work ethic, aiming to serve and always ready to give his energy and expertise. An athletic trainer could find no greater champion for the profession than Dr. Collins, and athletes are fortunate to have him on the sideline. Dr. Collins truly exemplify the traits of the award’s namesake, Dr. Jack C Hughston, who was a pioneer in sports medicine care.


The Georgia Athletic Trainers’ Association is an organization committed to education of its members and enhancement of the profession of athletic training, leading to better healthcare for the population which it serves. The GATA is proudly composed of licensed athletic trainers in many different settings. Over 1000 licensed athletic trainers – from professional, collegiate, and high school teams to industries, physician offices, and rehabilitation clinics – all work together to promote and practice the profession of athletic training within the state of Georgia. Follow the GATA on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.



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