Q: Why did you decide to become a doctor?
I wanted to help patients. Orthopedic surgery is a specialty that allows me to help patients by getting them back to doing the activities they enjoy.
Q: Did you have a personal experience that moved you in that direction?
Fortunately, I never had a personal experience with orthopedic surgery myself. However, my dad had a meniscal surgery and my sister had an ACL tear right about the time I was in junior high. Since then, I thought, that’s pretty cool (as a career). I want to be doing that.
Q: Did someone or something influence your career path?
I’ve been very fortunate throughout the years to have people who have directed me along my path. My mother and father own their own business – a greenhouse. They taught me how to work hard, which carried me through medical school. In medical school, I had mentors who weren’t orthopedic surgeons but taught me how to excel in medicine. Later, as I went through training, I was very fortunate to meet people and interact with people who are experts in the field of hip and knee replacement. They have taught me the tricks, what to do and what not to do. I’m very grateful for all the people who have helped me along the way.
Q: What are your specialties and professional interests?
I specialize in orthopedic surgery, specifically hip and knee replacements. My specialty and what I love to do is replace hips and knees in people who find that they can’t do the activities that they want to do anymore. I want to do the best job I can, and get patients back to the activities they love. That is my sole focus.
Q: What are some areas you are particularly interested in?
Orthopedic surgery is a constantly changing field, so you have to stay on top of the research and also contribute to it. I have done some work with aspirin and the prevention of blood clots following surgery (anticoagulation). Following surgery, a patient can get blood clots and some of the research I’ve done looks at using aspirin in place of the expensive medications like Warfarin that require monitoring. That has been the focus of some of my past research.
Q: What do you think you will be able to bring to the IU Health Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Center in Bloomington as well as the South Central Region?
I’m joining a phenomenal group that is doing great surgeries already. I’m hoping to learn from them and learn their techniques but I’m also hoping to contribute some new techniques. I’ve trained at different facilities with different mentors, and whether it’s updated techniques with the anterior approach to the hip or a uni-compartmental (half-a-knee) replacement, I hope to bring these to Bloomington and to the surrounding areas, assist my partners, learn from them and blend our strengths.
Q: Tell us about your family?
Julie and I got married right before I started my residency in 2013. We have two healthy kids. Connor is turning 3-years-old very soon, and our
daughter, Ellie, just turned one. We are a happy family with a golden retriever as well. It’s the people that I love dearly and who I spend time with when I’m not with my patients.
Dr. Brandon Hood practices at the new IU Health Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Center at 2605 E. Creeks Edge Drive in Bloomington.