A student from the Isle of Man has been honoured by the world’s biggest sports medicine and science research body.
 
Katie Taylor, from Ramsey, has been a student representative on the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) for two years.
 
She represents the North West of America chapter on the body, which is dedicated to scientific research in the field of exercise and sports medicine.
 
Her membership has seen her travel throughout the United States, sit on national committees and twice co-host the annual Student Knowledge Bowl competition.
 
Now Katie – who has a degree in sports science from the University of Central Lancashire and is studying for a PhD at the University of Idaho – has been awarded the ACSM Northwest Service Award in recognition of her service and leadership to the chapter.
 
The award was made at the ACSM’s annual regional meeting in Oregon. Katie is the first student to receive it in more than a decade. She was also re-elected to the ACSM for a further two years.
 
Katie said: ‘I was extremely honoured to receive the award in recognition of my work with ACSM North West. It has been a joy to serve students and it’s a pleasure to fly the flag for the Isle of Man in this important field.’
 
Former Ramsey Grammar School student Katie first went to the University of Idaho in 2010 after winning the Ella Olesen Scholarship, awarded annually to a female graduate who has been supported through her studies by the Department of Education and Children.
 
She returned to the university in 2012 to further her studies and is a doctoral candidate, working on her dissertation on the subject of bowel diseases, with funding from Gatorade. She hopes to graduate in 2016.
 
A presentation she gave on her studies at the ACSM’s Oregon meeting was awarded an Outstanding Doctoral Research Presentation Award and she has been invited to repeat it at a national gathering in San Diego in May.
 
Katie is a welcoming face for new Ella Olesen scholars who arrive in Idaho from the Isle of Man each August.
 
She said: ‘I am forever grateful for the opportunities provided by the Isle of Man.’
 
Photo - Katie Taylor with her award.