Member Spotlight
Dr Brandi Cole
What influenced you to become a Sports and Exercise Physician?
It was a combination of a few factors but the main influence would’ve been Donald Kuah whom I first met when I was his patient many decades ago! I grew up wanting to be a professional athlete/Olympian and my fall back job was to “work in sport” in any way I could. This lead me to do a physiotherapy degree initially having spent hours per week with my physiotherapist with multiple injuries from a young age. I was introduced to Sports Medicine as a patient of Donald’s around that time but it wasn’t until years later I decided to pursue a medical degree and then eventually I went full circle and became a Sport and Exercise Physician which I refer to as “finding my tribe” (I never wanted to be a doctor when I left school, I didn’t like hospitals or sick people and I thought medical school was full of geeks!!)
If you weren’t a doctor, what would you have been?
Well the professional athlete thing never got off the ground and I was a physiotherapist before I was a doctor so I guess the answer is either nothing else or whatever I do next!! (I did also try stay at home mum which lasted all of 6 weeks for me so I’m really lucky to have found a profession I love!)
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
The thing that drove me to be a doctor is my passion for helping others and my interest in health and performance of the human body. I love that as a Sport and Exercise Physician I can manage elite athletes in professional teams, provide treatment for injury and illness in recreational athletes and help sedentary people to become fit and healthy all in a days work. I love that my job is flexible and that every day is completely different - there’s certainly no time for boredom or monotony to creep in.
Have there been any learnings or challenges that have stood out for you at this stage in your career?
There’s been a few! I started my own private practice the same time the COVID-19 global pandemic was declared in early 2020 (which in hindsight probably made me busier if anything). In 2021 I went to the Tokyo Olympics as the Matilda’s team doctor which was obviously also in the pandemic and during that same year I was also assistant doctor for the Roosters NRL team in a year that we medically retired 2 long term players from the game due to concussion. As I write this I am in camp with the Matildas again and we have the Asian Cup in India this month - the past week has been by far the most challenging of my career handling multiple COVID infections in both players and staff situated all around the world in the lead up to assembly and having to be adaptable and flexible with travel and training arrangements to manage the needs of both the individual people and the team as a whole. I have literally worked 24/7 the past week to organise ever changing logistics while trying to see urgent follow ups in clinic and spend time with my family before going away for a month but hopefully it will also be the most rewarding time when we come home with the win!
What advice would you give someone interested in Sports and Exercise medicine?
Follow your dreams and never give up! It was 20 years almost to the day between my final high school exam and my final fellowship exam and I loved every minute of my journey. In that time I did a physiotherapy degree, a medical degree, a PhD and had 2 children so it can be done! Definitely get out there and put your hand up early to help out with sports coverage or shadow someone in your local area. There’s plenty of jobs going around and you’ll be able to tell quite quickly if it’s something you want to do.
On a weekend you can be found…
At the beach with my family or at one of the many cafes in Cronulla. Unless I’m at work which is ok too because that means I’m sitting on the sideline watching sport!