Dr. Brooks Brodrick joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Allergy and Immunology as an Assistant Professor in January 2025. She received her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from the University of Texas at Austin. She then went on to complete both her MD and PhD as part of the NIH-Funded MSTP program at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. She completed her residency training in internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, followed by advanced training through a general internal medicine research fellowship. Dr. Brodrick joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2018 as an assistant professor in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry. Her research laboratory focuses on the intersection of gut microbiota, host immune responses, and eating behaviors.
She uses a variety of techniques, including rodent models and clinical cohorts, to investigate how microbiota shape appetite and food decisions. As the current understanding of the underpinning mechanisms of feeding and eating disorders is poor, and treatments are ineffective for many, Dr. Brodrick aims to address the unmet clinical needs of patients with feeding and eating disorders by translating basic scientific discoveries into more effective and targeted treatments. In her clinical practice, Dr. Brodrick employs a holistic approach that is attentive to both the physical symptoms of illness as well as the individual’s mental and emotional struggles. Her teaching philosophy is rooted in the creation of a collaborative learning culture that nurtures a growth mindset. Her key interests are malnutrition management, feeding and eating disorders, food aversions and sensitivities, mast cell related disorders.