Prof Adam Brooks
Sub Specialty : Hip Surgery / Arthroplasty
Location: England - South West
Job title: Consultant Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgeon
Career summary
I qualified from Oxford in 1990. Most of my basic surgical training was in London and the South Coast until I returned to the Oxford Rotation for higher surgical training, finishing with a fellowship in Toronto.
I have been in post at Great Western Hospital, Swindon, since 2002. My clinical interests have been trauma and lower limb arthroplasty, predominantly hip surgery.
I have spent a long period of my career in clinical management, firstly as clinical lead then Associate Medical Director for eight years, being responsible for a wide range of surgical, anaesthetic and paediatric & maternity services. I also served as acting medical director during the first wave of the covid pandemic.
I have served on the BOA council and associated committees for two terms, the first being ex-officio as chairman of the British Orthopaedic Directors Society, then as an elected Trustee.
I have been a faculty member for AO since 2006 and was chair of AO Principles courses from 2014-17, more recently taking a coaching / faculty mentorship role for AO principles.
Preferred method(s) of communication
☐ Face-to-face
☐ Video call
☐ Phone
☒ No preference
Areas where I can offer support
☒ Communication skills
☒ Conflict resolution
☐ Education and training
☐ Equality, diversity and inclusion
☒ Job search and interviewing
☒ Management and leadership
☒ Professional development
☐ Career transitions / Return to practice
☒ Work-life balance
Why do you want to be a mentor and what can you offer a mentee?
Twenty four years of consultant practice, which has included some wide-ranging responsibilities outside my own immediate field, has given me a lot of experience of different careers and different styles of clinical practice.
I have seen, and hopefully supported, many of my junior staff in their training and career progression, with four of them now working alongside me as consultant colleagues, which has been enormously rewarding to see. I have also, sadly, seen individuals and whole departments in difficulties and so have developed some insights in how to manage challenging situations.
I won’t pretend to have all the answers, but I enjoy being able to share my clinical and non-clinical experience for the benefit of others. As I am in the later stages of my consultant career, I can see that the benefit of perspective is something that I wish I had had when I was at a more junior stage of training and so I am keen to pass on what I have learned in any way that I can.
