Auburn

Dr. Brolinson is Vice Provost for Research, Professor of Family and Sports Medicine and the Discipline Chair for Sports Medicine at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine and Team Physician for Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech.  He is the director of the Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship at VCOM and Virginia Tech. He is also a volunteer physician for the United States Olympic Committee and a team physician for the United States Ski Team and was head team physician for the Freestyle Ski Team at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy. He was also named to the medical staff for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, BC and was medical director of the USOC performance services center. He obtained his undergraduate training from the University of Missouri at Columbia earning a degree in biology.  A 1983 graduate of the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Brolinson is board certified in family practice and holds subspecialty certification in sports medicine.  Prior to coming to Virginia, he was the co-director of the Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship training program at The Toledo Hospital in Toledo, Ohio and Team Physician for University of Toledo.  He has extensive experience in undergraduate and post-graduate medical education. Dr. Brolinson has served on the boards of the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and the Midwest Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine. He is a past president of the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine.  Dr. Brolinson is a fellow of the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine, the American Academy of Family Practice and the American College of Osteopathic Family Practice.  In 1997 he was named outstanding young physician in Ohio by the Ohio State Medical Association. He is a former associate editor for the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine and a former member of the editorial board of the Physician and Sports Medicine.  He is former section editor for Competitive Sports and Pain Management in the journal Current Sports Medicine Reports. Dr. Brolinson is a frequent speaker at national sports medicine meetings and often teaches didactic laboratory sessions on the use of osteopathic manipulative therapy for athletic injuries. Dr. Brolinson is a contributing author in the latest edition of Foundations for Osteopathic Medicine and he has published several scholarly articles and book chapters in the area of sport and exercise medicine. His research interests have included exercise and immune function, exercise and bone mineral density, mild traumatic brain injury in sports, impact biomechanics, human factors in auto safety, sports performance and manipulation and other health and disease prevention related topics. 

Education

Gary began at VCOM in the Fall of 2004 as a Computer Support Technician. In 2006 he became the Director of Information Technology, a position he held until June of 2017. At that point he became the Director of Identity & Account Managment, with duties that now span all 4 campuses.

My early research focused on the beneficial effects of adjuvant therapies for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease in clinical and pre-clinical populations concentrating on endothelial function/dysfunction and arterial stiffness on blood flow mechanics, myocardial oxygen demand, and left-ventricular wasted energy. To expand my research in aging and cardiovascular disease, I then focused on the differential effects of androgens and estrogens, specifically, testosterone replacement therapy in older hypogonadal males and the progression of benign prostatic hyperplasia, bone metabolism, and risk for developing cardiovascular disease.

Currently, my research focuses on the role of hormone dysregulation and the development of cognitive decline associated with aging and the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), related pathology and novel adjuvant therapies to prevent the progression of vascular disease associated with aging and the development of AD. Current projects include, ‘Regulation of Luteinizing Hormone to Prevent Cognitive Decline of Reproductive Senescence and Alzheimer’s Disease’, ‘Neurophysiological effects of whole coffee fruit concentrate in older adults with mild cognitive impairment: A fMRI Investigation’ and ‘Extra-virgin olive oil prevents MCI conversion to Alzheimer’s disease’. In addition, I continue to investigate the molecular environment of the prostate and the development of cancers. To this end, current collaborative projects include, ‘High-density lipoprotein cholesterol nanoparticle mimic for the early detection and treatment of prostate cancer’, ‘Novel engineered nanoparticle based drug delivery and biosensing assay system for in vivo prostate cancer treatment and monitoring’, and ‘Iatrogenic cardiac and skeletal muscle metabolic dysfunction in patients with breast cancer after chemotherapy and radiation treatment’

Education