Dr. Nicole Whaley speaks at Injury Prevention Day at the Georgia State Capitol

Nicole Whaley was a senior in high school planning a career in medicine when serious injuries from a car accident, including a traumatic brain injury, put her dreams on hold.

After years of recovery and despite lingering effects from her injuries, Whaley earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice with a specialty in gerontology acute care and began helping patients recover from the types of traumatic injuries she herself survived.

In recent years, Whaley has become a passionate advocate for survivors of traumatic injury and a tireless ambassador for AU Health’s Trauma Program. On Feb. 13, Whaley shared her survivor story at the Georgia Trauma Foundation Injury Prevention Day at the Capitol with an audience of more than 100 trauma surgeons, nurses, EMTs, legislators and injury prevention advocates.

Read more of her inspiring story and her work with trauma patients at AU Health in A., Augusta University’s Alumni Magazine.