When Brandon Mines, MD ’00, was a child growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he thoroughly enjoyed all types of sports, including football — which he played in the street — basketball, and bicycling. Playing sports at the professional level might have been a distant dream but, as he would one day learn, other doorways into the world of pro sports would open.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in biology from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Mines decided to apply to medical school. He was hesitant to return to the cold Wisconsin winters, but the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health’s formidable reputation lured him back to the Badger State. After Mines earned his medical degree in 2000, he completed a family medicine residency at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee and a sports medicine fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Mines was not the first in his family to pursue medicine. His father Arthur Mines, MD, who still has a family medicine practice in Milwaukee, left a deep imprint on his young son — more so with his deeds than his words.
“I was inspired by my dad’s strong sense of professionalism,” Mines says. “He never told me, ‘You should go into medicine,’ but the idea appealed to me after watching how he carried himself and interacted with others.”
Like his father, Mines pursued family medicine because he relishes a lifelong connection with patients. He also sought a certification in sports medicine because athletes are typically highly motivated to do the rehabilitation work needed to resume their favorite sports or activities.
In 2005, Mines returned to Atlanta, embarking on a two-decade association with Emory University and Emory Healthcare’s Sports Medicine Center. Between 2005 and 2024, Mines served stints of varying lengths as:
- Head team physician of the Women’s National Basketball Association’s (WNBA) Atlanta Dream
- Associate team physician of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Atlanta Hawks
- Head team medical physician of the National Football League’s (NFL) Atlanta Falcons, including the team’s appearance in the 2017 Super Bowl
- Team physician for men’s basketball at Georgia Institute of Technology
As a team physician, Mines was stationed on the bench or sideline during games, ready to tend to injured players on a moment’s notice. He also worked closely with players who were recovering from injuries or illnesses.
“Over the past 20 years, I have learned that if you show athletes respect and establish an easy rapport, they will return that respect and take what you say seriously,” says Mines.
Because concussions are most prevalent in football, serving as an NFL team physician can be especially challenging. Players typically do not want to come out of a game, even after suffering a brutal hit from an opponent.
“It was my job to protect players on the Falcons from themselves, and you have to be strong-willed to succeed,” Mines says. “When a player goes into the blue tent on the sideline after a major collision and I suspect he is concussed, I am the one who says, ‘I’m here to protect you, and I think you have a concussion.’ That’s never anything a player wants to hear, so maintaining your confidence and poise while examining the athlete is essential.”
For Mines, being of service to athletes does not always end when the ball stops bouncing. Such was the case when providing care for Ivory Latta, now age 40, who played for the Atlanta Dream in 2008 and 2009 when Mines was the team’s head physician. An 11-year WNBA player and still the all-time women’s basketball scoring leader at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Latta never hesitates to ask Mines for advice to this day, be it about a nagging pain or life in general.
“If you need a shirt and he has it, Dr. Mines will give it to you off his back,” says Latta. “He will go the extra mile to be sure you are OK, and if he doesn’t know something, he will point you to someone who does.”
Mines focuses his career in two directions: as the founding chief executive officer and a physician in his private sports medicine practice, which serves active and retired athletes; and as head of a non-profit organization called the Opportunity to Reach the Highest Objective (ORTHO) Project.
“The ORTHO Project helps make important connections for underrepresented minority students who otherwise might not get in the door,” Mines says. “There are so many careers in sports aside from playing, so we introduce these kids to sports attorneys, physical therapists, trainers, sports agents, and other human cogs in the sports machine. To have a hand in helping shape the next generation of professionals in this arena is incredibly fulfilling.”
Still living in Atlanta, Mines and his wife, Nadine Mines, spend much of their time raising their three sons: 5-year-old fraternal twins and a 3-year-old. When his schedule permits, Mines also pursues gardening, mountain biking, and home brewing of beer. He plans to return to Madison on Homecoming weekend in fall 2025 for the reunion of his class at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.
“My 25-year medical school class reunion is in October, and I’m looking forward to it greatly,” he says. “I’ll bring my family, and I can’t wait to reconnect with my classmates.”
