“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane.”
~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
There are those who are content being a second-string participant in life. And, then there are those in life’s “starting lineup” who scoop up a fistful of infinite curiosity about life and charge head first into everything.
Family, fitness, medical justice for the disenfranchised and an insatiable desire to deliver compassionate care are all hallmarks of this month’s first-string all-star person of prominence.
Dr. Amber Brooks is a Board Certified Anesthesiologist and Comprehensive Pain Management Physician who specializes in treating a variety of different pain conditions.
Her journey and pursuits are discussed below.
Describe your childhood and formative years in the Chicago area
From a very early age, I was one of those young people who knew what her purpose was. My family had no medical doctors, and yet, I knew that was the field for me.
My mother, who had a quiet but commanding spirit, was a human resources director for a television station in Chicago. She was from deeply rural Alabama and was a flexible, unassuming and laid back presence.
My father instilled in me a love of learning with strong, stoic, active approaches to fitness, and he was always very disciplined. He encouraged us to dream big. I dreamed unabashedly about becoming a physician.
What were the first inclinations you experienced when deciding upon the eventual path of medicine ?
I was always fascinated by math and science. One of my lifelong positive characteristics has been an insatiable curiosity coupled with creativity. I was consumed with knowing what made the human body tick.
I initially thought I would certainly be an obstetrician/gynecologist specialist. I loved the idea of working with and providing medical care to women.
However, my eventual path into anesthesiology gave me the perfect balance of science and artistry, because this field really is a fascinating space to occupy as we render someone unconscious and then wake him or her up again. My supplemental training in pain management gave me exposure to connecting to patients on an even deeper level.
One of my early mentors, Dr James Lowry, was the first black physician who inspired and supported me. He was instrumental in my undying belief that a holistic, compassionate approach to medicine was essential.
It has always been critical for me to seek justice for those who are disadvantaged economically and socially and are oftentimes undertreated and underdiagnosed.
I want to teach the next generation of medical professionals to treat without prejudice. It is imperative to realize also that there must be equal representation in clinical trials. I am here to advocate for those who don’t have a seat at the table for equitable opportunities to access research clinical trials and treatment.
Describe one of the most profound philanthropic events you have led in the community.
My dear friend and colleague Dr. Kristen Hairston, an endocrinologist at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, shared her concern about female student athletes not having access to well-fitted undergarments, which could lead to decreased participation in sports and physical activity.
And so, they would be at risk for developing chronic health conditions like diabetes later in life.
We identified the Winston-Salem State University powerhouse cheerleading summer camp with 150 student athletes as our community partner.
In six weeks, a group of 10 community focused women, raised more than $5,000 and received sponsorship, bras, sports bras and laundry mesh bags from our corporate sponsors like Fleet Feet and Hanes Brands.
Fleet Feet custom fit every student athlete and provided a free pair of running shoes. I’m still trying to process the deep-seated impact of that day.
How have you set a balance between your philanthropic pursuits and your medical practice?
There is no such thing as perfect balance for me. My husband says, “Please don’t get in her way. Stand back and watch her go.”
There is no nirvana of balance; there is only purpose. I’m certainly a work in progress. I’m quite an introvert, but I am bullish and determined. I carve out time with the family, with my books and with nature. The natural world is balm for the soul.
I love to bike in groups with people at all levels of fitness (Dr. Brooks had just completed a 29-mile ride before the interview, as if it were just a casual little workout on a Saturday morning).
What made you want to help the aging population with a study of chronic pain?
It all began with me wanting to re-invent myself to branch into a new angle of my academic medical career. As medical prescribers of pain medicine, collectively, many of us were causing unforeseen harm by the over-prescribing of opioids.
Thirty percent of our patients at the time were older than 65, and the side effects of non-opioid and opioid medications were affecting this population greatly. Chronic pain at that age is naturally widespread. I have always approached my work as a place to help all populations and not limit myself to one particular demographic.
The Mobile Intervention to Reduce Pain and Improve Health-III (MORPH-III) study, funded by the National Institute of Health/National Institute on Aging, will track how adults age 65 or older living with obesity respond to six months of physical activity and nutrition coaching – and how much the intervention reduces weight and lessen chronic pain. MORPH-III will recruit 200 older adults living with obesity primarily in North Carolina and southern Virginia. Participants must have knee or hip osteoarthritis and live independently.
What wouldyou like your ultimate legacy to be?
My grandfather died on my birthday on October 22, 1955 at the tender age of 35. He was a brilliant civil rights trial attorney. His eulogy written by his fellow Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity brother reads, “well trained in the art of living; a defender of the laws of justice; a leader in his community, his state and his country, an ardent foe of Bigotry, Injustice and Ignorance – “This Was a Man! This Was A Life!” While I am proud of my personal and professional achievements, like my grandfather, I hope that my ultimate legacy will be one rooted in a relentless quest for justice for all and deep human connection that positively impacts the lives of my family, community and patients that I’m so privileged to serve.
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