Symposium 2026 | Pregnancy and Postpartum: What We Know and What We Need to Know
Pregnancy and Postpartum: What We Know and What We Need to Know
The pregnancy and the postpartum periods remain understudied in athletes, yet they profoundly affect training and return to sport. Panelists, including researchers and elite athletes, will discuss current knowledge and guidelines, and open questions and opportunities.
MODERATOR
Emily Kraus, MD
Emily Kraus is the Director of the Female Athlete Science and Translational Research (FASTR) Program at the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at Stanford. She is a clinical assistant professor at Stanford University and a member of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Women’s Health Task Force. Her clinical and research expertise focuses on fueling, bone health, injury prevention, and optimizing performance in female athletes.
PANELIST
Feliks Kogan, PhD
Feliks Kogan is an assistant professor in the Department of Radiology at Stanford University with a research focus on imaging of musculoskeletal function. His group is focused on the development of novel imaging methods, and the translation of these methods to produce actionable information to impact patient outcomes. He has extensive experience with cutting-edge imaging technologies to study important relationships between mechanics, physiology and tissue microstructure.
PANELIST
Nicole Farnsworth, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN
Nicole Sliva Farnsworth is the Associate Director of Sports Nutrition at WHSP Medical and a clinical dietitian at Laura Moretti Nutrition. She is a board-certified sports dietitian specializing in performance nutrition, low-energy availability, perinatal sports nutrition, and eating disorders, and works with athletes of all levels, from recreational to elite. She also contributes to research and recently led a scoping review of postpartum return-to-sport literature.
PANELIST
Shefali Mathur Christopher, PT, DPT, ATC, PhD
Shefali Christopher serves as the Director of Admissions and faculty member of the Tufts DPT Seattle program. She works with USA paratriathlon and swimming at international races and was the medical liaison/physical therapist to the paratriathlon team at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Paralympic games. She has numerous publications related to her research on exercise and sport during pregnancy and postpartum.
PANELIST
Alysia Montaño
Alysia Montaño’s bio – to come
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