For the second consecutive year, the University of Kentucky is home to the Southeastern Conference Team Physician of the Year. A year after Dr. Darren Johnson earned the prestigious honor, Dr. James Jagger joins the club.Dr. Jagger is an assistant professor in the UK Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, while also serving as the UK chief of athletic medicine and head team physician for all UK sports. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, Dr. Jagger is in his 14th year at Kentucky and has been a vital asset to the UK sports teams.The Team Physician of the Year award is chosen by the athletic training staffs at SEC member institutions and is given annually to recognize a team physician who has contributed greatly to both his or her school’s teams and to the SEC sports community. Jagger received the award this week at the annual SEC Sports Medicine Conference held in Opelika, Ala.”It means a lot because they’re the most important people we have,” said Dr. Jagger about the league’s athletic trainers. “They bridge the gap between us and the athletes and coaches and we can’t do our job without the athletic trainers. To be recognized by the athletic trainers is really an honor.” After the award was created in 2003, Dr. Jagger’s award this year makes back-to-back wins for UK physicians, following Dr. Johnson, chair of the UK Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, and head orthopaedic surgeon for UK Athletics.”To have our physicians win back-to-back awards is extremely representative of the care that’s being rendered to our student-athletes in all the sports, as both physicians tend to more sports than the high-profiled sports,” said Jim Madaleno, who is the director of sports medicine and head athletic trainer at Kentucky. “Our student-athletes are getting excellent care and this award speaks for that.”Two UK athletes witnessed firsthand how lucky the university is to have Dr. Jagger on board. Caitlyn Ciokajlo, a former UK gymnast, and senior men’s basketball guard Jon Hood, have both spent their fair share of time in Dr. Jagger’s care.Hood went through knee and head injuries during his time at UK, while Ciokajlo suffered from a broken neck that sidelined her for a season.”Dr. Jagger has provided treatment and guidance over my long college career, assisting me in getting back to the playing surface as quickly as possible,” Hood said. “He is an outstanding role model, physician and overall human being.”Ciokajlo and Hood had nothing but praise for Dr. Jagger as the two athletes endured setbacks that tested their spirits both physically and mentally. “I’m grateful to have gotten to work with Dr. Jagger while recovering from my injury,” Ciokajlo said. “His care and support were very appreciated during a time when I very much needed it and I’m honored to have gotten to work with such a compassionate doctor.”Madaleno described Dr. Jagger as being an extremely warm and cordial person that exudes an extremely professional atmosphere. He is more than just a doctor to the athletes, as students are encouraged to express any problems they might be having, on and off the court.”Dr. Jagger presents a real warm atmosphere where he’s very approachable should the athlete have any concerns,” Madaleno said. “And they know that. He has the calming effect on each of them that everything’s going to be OK. Let’s work out a plan and figure out what’s causing the problem.”Dr. Jagger has provided care and support to many athletes during his tenure and there will most certainly be more.”This is coming into my 14th year here at Kentucky and I never in my wildest dreams thought I would win it at this point in my career or ever perhaps,” Dr. Jagger said. “I’ve worked with just unbelievably great student-athletes over the last 14 years and they make my job easy too.”