Dr. Julie Burton, the longtime Athletic Trainer at Dunedin High School, has been honored as the Secondary School Athletic Trainer of the Year by the Athletic Trainers’ Association of Florida.
“If I notice someone is moving sluggishly, I’m going over there, ‘Hey, what’s going on? Are you OK? Do you need an extra water break?’” Burton explained. “The last thing I want…is someone to collapse from a heat illness.”
Now in her sixth season with Dunedin, Burton has earned deep respect from the student-athletes she serves.
“I transferred halfway through the season. Already, she knew what I had to have taped within the first day,” said linebacker Matthan Hill. “I told her one time, and she already knew everything.”
Burton takes pride in more than just physical care.
“You just can’t tell what they are going through in a day,” she said. “Being that person…they can come and just speak to whatever issue may be bothering them.”
In a state with 3,256 certified Athletic Trainers but 30% of secondary schools still lacking one, Burton has made advocacy a core part of her mission.
“This is a very vulnerable population, youth… Not everyone has access to a healthcare provider, so for some, I’m it.”
With passion, presence, and a smile, Dr. Julie Burton continues to elevate the Athletic Training profession—one athlete, one game, and one taped wrist at a time.
“I am with sports all the time,” she said, “and not many can say that they have a free ticket to every single game.”
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