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Females differ from males in many aspects of general health, athletic performance, training, and management of sport-related injuries. Yet sports medicine research has traditionally focused solely on male athletes or lumped male and female athletes together in the same studies, creating a gap in knowledge that put female athletes at a disadvantage. As girls and young women become more empowered through sports, it is important to advance research on how sex and gender differences affect performance and overall sports experience.

From June 10-12, 2021, more than 1,000 athletes, coaches, trainers, physicians, and researchers came together for the 2021 Female Athlete Conference to share and advance research in the relatively new field of sports medicine for female athletes. Established in 2013, the Female Athlete Conference is a biennial global event that supports research into the unique health and performance needs of female athletes, translates research into practice, and disseminates information to athletes and those who work with them.

According to Kathryn Ackerman, MD, MPH, FACSM, director of the Female Athlete Program at Boston Children’s Hospital and a member of the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance National Leadership Council, “Sport is an important outlet for athletes of all ages to gain confidence and life skills. The Female Athlete Conference provides a rare and critical opportunity to ensure the known benefits of sport participation are equally accessible to girls and women.”

Read about the 2021 Female Athlete Conference highlights.