Dr. Janet Wilbert, associate professor of health and human performance at UT Martin, was inducted into the Tennessee Athletic Trainers’ Society (TATS) Hall of Fame on Jan. 20 for her devotion to the field of athletic training.
Inclusion in the TATS Hall of Fame is reserved for those members who have worked in the state of Tennessee for a minimum of 15 years and have demonstrated “the highest level of devotion, professionalism and personal sacrifice to those they have served and cared for,” according to TATS requirements.
Wilbert was an athletic trainer for 20 years before officially retiring in 2012.
She joined the sports medicine staff at Methodist Hospital in McKenzie in 1994 after a move from California.
Wilbert later transferred to Vanderbilt Sports Medicine in Martin and covered high school trainers’ positions in Obion, Weakley and Carroll counties.
Wilbert accepted a position as program director for UT Martin’s athletic training education program in 2000, and has since taken many student groups to the Southeast Athletic Trainers’ Association student symposium in Atlanta, Ga.
She has served TATS by participating on various committees and by serving a three-year term on the board, during which time she was part of gaining increased recognition for the athletic training profession in the state of Tennessee.
Wilbert was also honored with the Jerry Robertson Outstanding Educator Award in 2011 for her work with future athletic trainers.
“I am a firm believer in working hard, being involved and doing my very best,” Wilbert said. “Since I began my athletic training career in Tennessee, I have worked hard to promote the profession and encourage students to pursue a career in athletic training. I was humbled to find out that my colleagues had valued my contributions over the years.”
Wilbert officially retired her athletic training certificate and license in 2012. She and her husband, Jeff, have two children, Jonathan, 17, and Jacob, 14.

Published in The WCP 2.14.13