The Richmond Observer – Susan Edkins presented with UNCP’s Rudisill Lifetime Achievement Award

PEMBROKE-Dr. Susan Edkins has spent the better part of three decades building a world class athletic training program at UNC Pembroke.

Under Edkins’ leadership, numerous graduates have gone on to successful careers in athletic training. The longtime director of athletic training received the Linda Harrill Rudisill Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual NC Shape Convention on March 13 in Winston-Salem.

The awardees are master teachers, advocates and innovators who have demonstrated a lifetime of achievement and dedication to health education.

“I am honored to have my life’s work recognized with such a prestigious award by my peers,” said Edkins. “I have spent the last 31 years at UNC Pembroke advocating for access to appropriate health care for athletes of all ages and abilities. I am passionate about the role athletic coaches play in the health of our communities, particularly in rural and underserved areas .”

Edkins currently serves as director of the athletic training program and lecturer in health education in the Department of Kinesiology. She played a significant role in the accreditation of the athletic training program by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education in 2007.

During her distinguished career, Edkins has also served as NCAA Healthcare Administrator and NCAA Compliance Officer in the Athletics Division, as well as Clinical Education Coordinator and Program Director for the undergraduate and graduate athletic training program.

She has recently assumed a broader role within the Department of Kinesiology, which offers a bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Exercise Science with concentrations in exercise physiology, leisure and exercise administration, and health promotion.

“I could not have achieved what I have without the support of my family, particularly my late husband Brian Edkins,” she said. “I am also grateful to my colleagues at UNC Pembroke for their support, particularly Dr. Beverly Justice, who has worked side-by-side with me in the athletic training program over the years.

“My greatest joy is making a positive impact on the lives of my students. We have so many graduates from our program that provides health care to high school athletes in this area of ​​the state, which makes me so happy. I look forward to continuing to guide students for careers in athletic training, as well as other careers in kinesiology.”