John “JP” Panos, head certified athletic trainer and assistant director of the Fox Chapel Area School District Athletic Department, has been named as one of the top high school athletic trainers in the country.
Training and Conditioning magazine and Sports Health, sponsors of the “Most Valuable Athletic Trainer Award,” made the announcement. JP will be among the honorable mention award winners featured in the April 2014 issue of Training and Conditioning magazine.
JP has been the district’s head certified athletic trainer for 25 years and assistant athletic director for the past eight. He oversees the health and well being of 1,500 athletes in grades 7-12, 23 interscholastic teams, and attends over 100 home games each year, plus all practices.
“JP is an outstanding athletic trainer and his commitment to the students and the community of Fox Chapel Area is certainly evident from his superb work,” says Michael O’Brien, director of athletics for the Fox Chapel Area School District. “He is well respected among his peers and everyone who knows JP can see how he treats every student athlete as an individual and as if they were one of his own children. The national recognition he has received is well deserved.”
Besides his affiliation with the Fox Chapel Area schools, JP serves as an accredited clinical instructor at the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University’s School of Rehabilitation Sciences. Each year, students from these programs do a portion of their clinical rotation requirements at Fox Chapel Area High School, where JP oversees all aspects of their training.
In addition, JP has been a volunteer member of the Pittsburgh Steelers auxiliary training staff for more than 20 years. He has worked at many training camps and games, as well as their last three Super Bowl appearances.
In the community, JP conducts CPR training and lectures at Parkview EMS and was one of the original organizers of Pittsburgh’s Multiple Sclerosis Walk. Twenty-five years ago he helped create the UPMC St. Margaret 5K Wellness Run/Walk, and now serves as the volunteer race director for the annual event.
JP’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in health and fitness and a master’s degree in health education. He is a long-standing member of the National Athletic Trainers Association.