THE FLATS – Carla Gilson, Georgia Tech’s associate athletics director for sports medicine, has been named the recipient of the Jerry Rhea Athletic Trainer of the Year Award, as announced by the Georgia Athletic Trainer’s Association.
The prestigious award is given to an individual who has demonstrated exemplary service to the profession of athletic training in Georgia with a minimum of 10 years of experience as a certified and/or licensed athletic trainer. The award is named for Jerry Rhea, a longtime head athletic trainer with the Atlanta Falcons and a pioneering force in the profession of athletic training in Georgia.
A member of the Georgia Tech athletics staff for nearly 25 years, Gilson has been the director of sports medicine for the past four years and was promoted to associate athletics director for sports medicine in 2022. Over her Georgia Tech career, Gilson has served as an athletic trainer for the Yellow Jackets’ women’s basketball, football, softball, tennis, track and field, volleyball and spirit teams.
Her passion for helping student-athletes extends beyond the playing surface as Gilson co-founded Tech’s “Life Now, Life Later” mentor program for female African-American student-athletes. She has also been a featured presenter for the National Athletic Trainers Association’s Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee and a panelist for Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s Women in Leadership workshop.
Gilson arrived at Georgia Tech in 1997 as an assistant athletic trainer. Prior to her time on The Flats, she served as a graduate assistant at East Tennessee State while earning her master’s degree in health and physical education/fitness leadership. Gilson is a true servant leader who is respected by her peers as a stellar athletic trainer, mentor and advocate for the profession at all levels.
The Georgia Athletic Trainers’ Association is an organization committed to the 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 composed of over 1,000 licensed athletic trainers ranging from professional, collegiate and high school teams to industries, physician offices and rehabilitation clinics.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
