Family Medicine

Brian Dickens, DO received his BS degree in Biology from Marshall University in Huntington, WV, then attended the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg, WV, graduating in 2005. He completed an Osteopathic Internship at Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, NY in 2006 and Family Medicine Residency at the Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, VA in 2008. From 2008 to 2009, he worked as a family practice physician at Group Health Permanente in Olympia, WA, returning to Roanoke, VA in 2009 for the same position with the Carilion Clinic until March 2014 when he joined the staff at VCOM.

Dr. Dickens has published two books, "Your Health, an Owner's Manual" in 2011 and "Habits for a Healthy Life" in 2013, and is a Certified Personal Trainer with the American Council on Exercise. He's participated in several international medical missionary trips and his clinical interests include international medicine, pediatric and adolescent medicine, medical genetics, and osteopathic manipulative medicine.

I am from Anderson, SC originally.  I completed an undergraduate degree from Clemson University in Industrial Engineering (Go Tigers!). After college I moved to Charleston, SC, worked at the MUSC Institute of Psychiatry in patient care and obtained a masters degree in Epidemiology from the Medical University of South Carolina. I then attended the Philadelphia college of Osteopathic Medicine-Georgia Campus to complete my medical education. Residency was at AnMed Health where I served as chief resident for 2 years. During residency I became a member of the South Carolina Medical Association Bioethics Committee. I have presented at the SCMA Bioethics retreat and SCMA Annual Meeting multiple times. After residency I joined a practice at Mary Black Health System in Spartanburg where I continue to work. We practice inpatient and outpatient medicine as well as being the physicians for Wofford College. I am currently the team physician at Spartanburg High School and treasurer of the Spartanburg County Medical Society.

Education

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

Dr. Aldret’s sustained research track is in athletic performance and post-eligibility health outcomes. He has published work on the interaction of sleep and mental health on in-game performance and strength measures. Currently, Dr. Aldret is collaborating with researchers at UNC-Greensboro and the NCAA on follow-up health care for athletes and the consequences of athletic participant in collision sports on post-competition measures of job satisfaction and activities of daily living. Dr. Aldret’s has previously published research in Frontiers in Neurology on novel biomarkers of concussion in hockey players. His additional research interests are best practices in athletic training administration and policy development. Dr. Aldret is now collaborating with the University of Wyoming and UNC-Charlotte to study the influence of COVID-19 on athlete health care at the NCAA Division-1 level.