Carolyn Broderick is an Australian sport and exercise physician, who was the first female Australian Medical Director for an Australian Olympic team,[2][3] and the Chief Medical Officer for Tennis Australia.[4][5]
Early life
Broderick grew up in Caringbah, New South Wales, the daughter of a doctor and physiotherapist, Frank and Margot. She has twin older sisters, Elizabeth Broderick, a lawyer and former Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner Jane Latimer.[6]
Broderick has held an academic position at the University of New South Wales (Associate Professor)[7] since 1994 and has published over 70 papers, including being a co-author on the Lancet series on Heat and Health.[8][9] Research themes include developing evidence-based guidelines for physical activity in children.[10][11][12][13][14][15] She co-authored the guidelines for return to sport in a COVID environment in 2020.[16][17][18] She is a member of Australian Sports Drug Medical Advisory Panel[19] and the National Sports Tribunal.[20]
Broderick was appointed as the Chief Medical Officer for the Australian Olympic Team for the Paris Olympics in 2024, becoming the first female physician to be the medical lead for the Australian Olympic team.[citation needed]
Controversies
The Australian Open – along with the US Open – are regularly subject to extreme heat conditions, and at times players and commentators are critical of decisions to continue play. Along with researcher Ollie Jay, Broderick has implemented evidence-based heat guidelines in recent years (Australian Open extreme heat policy) which provide objective decision-making about when to cease play.[22]
In 2022, the Australian Open was the centre of a major controversy involving reigning champion Novak Djokovic, who was taken into quarantine and ultimately forbidden from entering Australian during the coronavirus pandemic for being unvaccinated. Tennis Australia had granted Djokovic a vaccine exemption for participation in the tournament, despite being unvaccinated, due to an expert panel of 3 independent specialists assessing that he met the criteria.[23][24][25]
^Swain, M; Kamper, SJ; Maher, CG; Broderick, C; McKay, D; Henschke, N (October 2018). "Relationship between growth, maturation and musculoskeletal conditions in adolescents: a systematic review". British Journal of Sports Medicine. 52 (19): 1246–1252. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-098418. PMID29559438. S2CID4036328.
^Engel, AC; Broderick, CR; van Doorn, N; Hardy, LL; Parmenter, BJ (August 2018). "Exploring the Relationship Between Fundamental Motor Skill Interventions and Physical Activity Levels in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis". Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.). 48 (8): 1845–1857. doi:10.1007/s40279-018-0923-3. hdl:1959.4/unsworks_62344. PMID29687278. S2CID22909153.
^Leite, MN; Kamper, SJ; Broderick, C; Yamato, TP (July 2022). "What Works When Treating Children and Adolescents With Low Back Pain?". The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy. 52 (7): 419–424. doi:10.2519/jospt.2022.10768. PMID35584032. S2CID248858032.