M. Alison Brooks, MD MPH
Orthopedics
Summary

Dr. Brooks is a tenured Professor in the Department of Orthopedics, Division of Sports Medicine. Dr. Brooks serves as the primary UW team physician for Badger men’s soccer and women’s ice hockey, and also as the Associate Director of Concussion and Nutrition Research for the Badger Athletic Performance Program. Dr. Brooks specializes in the care of the child and adolescent athlete, but also provides care for athletes and active individuals of all ages at UW Health Sports Medicine. Dr. Brooks serves on the Board of Directors for the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and on the Executive Committee for the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Sports Medicine & Fitness. She is an avid outdoor enthusiast who enjoys hiking, skiing, kayaking and biking with her family.

Follow Dr. Brooks on Twitter: @DrABrooksUWisc

Clinical Interests

Dr. Brooks specializes in the care of the child and adolescent athlete, including both musculoskeletal and medical issues that affect participation in sport and exercise. Dr. Brooks believes all youth should have the opportunity to be physically active in some way, whether at the competitive or recreational level.

Dr. Brooks also has a special interest in the prevention of injuries in youth and collegiate athletes, care of female athletes and cyclists, as well as achieving optimal bone health in athletes of all ages.

Research Interests

Dr. Brooks completed her research training and Master of Public Health in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Research Scholars Program at the University of Washington. In addition at UW-Madison she was a Scholar of the BIRCWH K12 Program, a career development award funded by the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Brooks' primary research area of interest is the prevention of injury in pediatric and young adult athletes. Specifically her recent work focuses on the risk of injury associated with early and single sport specialization and sport training volume in youth athletes. She hopes her clinical research will help guide evidence-based recommendations for safe and successful athlete development and sport participation for all youth.

Dr. Brooks is fortunate to collaborate with great collegaues here on the UW-Madison campus.

Wisconsin Injury in Sport Laboratory

McGuine WI Sport Research Network

UW Team Physician

Dr. Brooks has served as a team physician for UW Badger Athletics since 2006. She provides primary medical and event coverage for the Mens' Soccer and Women's Ice Hockey teams. Dr. Brooks feels that serving as a UW Team Physician is one of the most rewarding parts of her job and finds it fun and challenging to work with such talented elite athletes.

UW Badgers Sports Medicine

CARE Consortium

Dr. Brooks serves as the lead site investigator at UW-Madison for the NCAA-DOD Grand Alliance: Concussion Assessment, Research and Education (CARE) Consortium. The NCAA and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) embarked on a landmark $30 million initiative to study and prevent concussion. This three-year large-scale, multi-site study is the most comprehensive investigation of sport-related concussion conducted to date. This study will facilitate a better understanding of the natural history of concussion and the neurobiological mechanisms of concussion symptoms and trajectory of recovery

CARE Consortium

BAP

Badger Athletic Performance dedicates itself to the mission of maximizing each student-athlete’s on-field performance through the integration of science, training, and injury management. Dr. Brooks is the Associate Director of Concussion and Nutrition Research for the Badger Athletic Performance Program.

Areas of Interest:

  • Risk of musculoskeletal injury after concussion, including association with neurocognitive performance
  • Changes in performance measures after concussion
  • Prevalence of low vitamin D status and effects of Vitamin D supplementation
  • Prevalence of low ferritin levels and iron-deficiency anemia
  • Nutrition attitudes and behaviors and their association with injury and performance
  • Association between sport specialization and risk of injury
AAP COSMF

Dr. Brooks has served on the Executive Committee for the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Sports Medicine & Fitness (COSMF) since 2012. Dr. Brooks serves as the CME Coordinator and Program Chair for the COSMF Sports Medicine H Program at the AAP's National Conference and Exhibition. Dr. Brooks also served as co-author on the AAP's position statement on the risk of body checking in youth ice hockey.

The mission of the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness is to support and encourage optimal and safe physical activity in the pediatric population and ensure that pediatric providers are prepared to provide the highest level of sports medicine guidance and care for their patients. COSMF is the leader in the provision of sports medicine care for youth in order to maximize health-related physical fitness, physical activity, and the benefits of sport for all children and adolescents

AAP COSMF

AMSSM BOD and CRN

Dr. Brooks has served on the Board of Directors for the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine since 2015. AMSSM provides a forum to foster professional relationships among sports medicine physicians to advance the discipline of sports medicine through education, research, advocacy and excellence in patient care. Dr. Brooks is chair of the Research Committee which oversees research abstracts and presentations at the Annual Meeting as well as research grant applications and awards. In addition she serves on the Leadership Committee for the Collaborative Research Network which has the mission to foster multicenter research and support AMSSM efforts in patient care, education, advocacy, reimbursement and sustainability of members.

AMSSM

Education
  • Fellowship
    University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison, WI, 2006-2008
  • Research Fellowship
    Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, Seattle, WA, 2004-2006
  • Residency
    University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 2001-2003
  • Internship
    University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 2000-2001
  • Medical Doctorate
    University of Tennessee-Memphis, Memphis, TN, 2000
  • Bachelor of Science
    University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 1995
View CV
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Locations

1 S. Park St. Medical Center

Phone: (608) 287-2000

American Family Children's Hospital

Phone: (608) 263-6420

Science Dr Medical Center

Phone: (608) 263-8850

East Madison Hospital

Phone: (608) 263-8850

University Hospital

Phone: (608) 263-6400

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Administrative Assistant
Amy Osmond