Chelsea Cole, M.D.

Biography

Chelsea E. Cole, M.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Family and Community Medicine and Orthopaedic Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She serves as Director of Sports and Musculoskeletal Medicine. She specializes in primary care sports medicine, with advanced specialization in diagnostic and interventional musculoskeletal ultrasound.

Dr. Cole earned her medical degree with honors at St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies. She completed her residency in family medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, where she served as Chief Resident. She completed fellowship training in primary care sports medicine at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, where she gained extensive experience in both sideline coverage and procedural-based sports medicine.

Certified by the American Board of Family Medicine in family medicine with a Certificate of Added Qualification in Sports Medicine, she joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2020.

Dr. Cole has clinical privileges at Parkland Health, William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. She provides comprehensive care for a broad range of athletic and musculoskeletal conditions in both adult and pediatric populations. She also serves as Team Physician for R.L. Turner High School and has provided sports medicine coverage for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, various UIL and NCAA events, the Senior PGA Championship, and regional mass-participation events.

Her procedural skill set includes:

• Diagnostic and therapeutic musculoskeletal ultrasound
• Ultrasound-guided joint aspirations and corticosteroid injections
• Tenotomy and barbotage for chronic tendinopathy
• Hydro dissection for peripheral nerve entrapment syndromes
• Fracture management, splinting, and casting
• Pre-participation examinations and return-to-play assessments
• Concussion management following current consensus protocols

In her academic role, Dr. Cole is heavily involved in resident and medical student education. She leads the musculoskeletal and point-of-care ultrasound curricula for the UT Southwestern Family Medicine Residency and serves as the Simulation Education Curriculum Lead for the department. She has designed and implemented numerous high-fidelity simulation workshops on acute care, ultrasound-guided procedures, and injury management.

Dr. Cole is an active member of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and contributes to the organization’s national committees on education, medical student outreach, and research. She has published peer-reviewed research, textbook chapters, and clinical reviews in the fields of musculoskeletal medicine, point-of-care ultrasound, and pre-participation physical evaluation.

Her academic interests include ultrasound-guided interventional procedures, pediatric and adolescent sports injuries, point-of-care ultrasound, and medical education.

Personal Note

When she’s not at work, Dr. Cole enjoys participating in triathlons, skiing, backpacking, traveling, cooking, and spending time with her three kids and pets.