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Women’s Sports Medicine Research and Education

Our team strives to educate and improve upon the understanding of treatment outcomes and injury prevention in female athletes.
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Email: womenssportsmedicine@mgb.org
womenssportsmedicine@mgb.org
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Call: 857-282-3909
8572823909
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Overview

At Mass General Brigham Women's Sports Medicine Program, one of our founding principles is to improve the understanding of treatment outcomes and injury prevention in female athletes. Together, our experts aim to bridge clinical gaps for female athletes through collaborations with experts in multiple fields. In addition to their clinical work at Mass General Brigham, our Women's Sports Medicine Program clinicians serve as faculty members of their respective specialties at Harvard Medical School.

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Female Athlete Webinars

In collaboration with Arthroschool, our Female Athlete webinar series explores the unique challenges, treatment strategies, and recovery pathways for women in sports. These webinars feature panels of experts from our team, sharing their academic and clinical expertise in providing specialized care for female athletes. Watch the webinars at the links below:

Female Athlete Knee Injuries
Female Athlete Shoulder Instability
Female Athlete Hip Injuries
Female Athlete Running Injuries

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Publications

Recent Publications:

*Mass General Brigham Women's Sports Medicine Program experts bolded

  • McInnis K, Mattes L, Cote M, Zachazewski J. Prevalence of Hamstring Injuries in Collegiate Softball Players and Comparison to Collegiate Baseball Players. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2026 Jan 1;21(1):66-78. doi: 10.26603/001c.154396. PMID: 41488377; PMCID: PMC12758933.
  • Ling DI, Hannafin JA, Prather H, Skolnik H, Vanderkruik R, Chiaia TA, de Mille P, Lewis CL, Casey E.EQUAL PAY, EQUAL HEALTH: Player Voices from The Women’s Soccer Health Study. J Wom Sports Med. 2025;5(3):35-37. doi:10.53646/3hqkek65.
  • Gilmer G, Crasta N, Tanaka MJ. The Effect of Sex Hormones on Joint Ligament Properties: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Am J Sports Med. 2025 Sep;53(11):2738-2748. doi: 10.1177/03635465241310145. Epub 2025 Jan 31. PMID: 39887996.
  • Katz NB, Ambrosio F. Beyond "Users" and "Non-Users": Insights from a Murine Model of Oral Contraceptive Formulations. J Wom Sports Med. 2025;5(2):26-28. doi:10.53646/3a34ee04.
  • Gupta S, Mazzocca JL, Lowenstein NA, Jacobs C, Matzkin EG. Females Age ≥25 Show Slower Recovery During the First 2 Years After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction but a Similar Outcome Compared to Those Who Are Younger. Arthroscopy. 2025 Sep;41(9):3452-3459. doi: 10.1016/j.arthro.2025.02.017. Epub 2025 Feb 24. PMID: 40010520.
  • Katz NB, Silver JK, McInnis KC. Gender/sex differences: Representation of women in lateral ankle sprain research. PM R. 2025 Aug;17(8):952-960. doi: 10.1002/pmrj.13349. Epub 2025 Mar 22. PMID: 40119783.
  • Ginjupalli R, Orav EJ, McCleary NJ, Hubbell HT, Tanaka MJ. Clinical and Social Predictors of Surgical Treatment for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries. Orthop J Sports Med. 2025 Jul 21;13(7):23259671251336395. doi: 10.1177/23259671251336395. PMID: 40697810; PMCID: PMC12280533.
  • Tanaka MJ. Women's Sports Medicine: What Is It, and Why Should We Care? Am J Sports Med. 2025 Jun;53(7):1551-1553. doi: 10.1177/03635465251342798. Epub 2025 Jun 2. PMID: 40454653.
  • Katz NB, Silver JK, McInnis KC. Gender/sex differences: Representation of women in lateral ankle sprain research. PM&R. 2025; 1-9. doi:10.1002/pmrj.13349.
  • Borgstrom H, DeLuca S, McInnis KC, Tanaka MJ. Beyond "Users" and "Non-Users": Insights from a Murine Model of Oral Contraceptive Formulations. J Wom Sports Med. 2025;5(2):26-28. doi:10.53646/3a34ee04
  • Gilmer G, Crasta N, Tanaka MJ. The Effect of Sex Hormones on Joint Ligament Properties: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Am J Sports Med. 2025 Jan 31:3635465241310145. doi: 10.1177/03635465241310145. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39887996.
  • Leahy KG, Lowenstein NA, Collins JE, Mazzocca JL, Matzkin EG. Preoperative Low Resilience Is Associated With Female Patients, Whereas High Resilience Is Associated With Improved Mental Health Scores During Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction. Arthroscopy. 2024 Dec;40(12):2887-2894. doi: 10.1016/j.arthro.2024.02.033. Epub 2024 Mar 5. PMID: 38453097.
  • Katz NB, Karnovsky SC, Robinson DM, DeLuca SE, Yun PH, Casey E, Wasfy MM, Tenforde AS. Sex Differences and Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy Outcomes in Runners with Achilles or Hamstring Tendinopathy. J Clin Med. 2024 Dec 3;13(23):7360. doi: 10.3390/jcm13237360. PMID: 39685818; PMCID: PMC11641900.
  • Katz NB, Fee JP, Nowak AS, Tenforde AS. Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy Is Associated With Similar Functional Outcomes for Male and Female Runners With Patellar or Quadriceps Tendinopathy: A Pilot Investigation. Arthrosc Sports Med Rehabil. 2024 Oct 10;7(2):101024. doi: 10.1016/j.asmr.2024.101024. PMID: 40297096; PMCID: PMC12034062.
  • Afifi T, Barrack MT, Casey E, Huddle M, Kliethermes SA, Kraus E, Toresdahl BG, Wasfy MM, Tenforde AS. Infographic. Head to toe considerations for the postpartum endurance athlete. Br J Sports Med. 2024 May 28;58(11):630-632. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2023-107624. PMID: 38448197.
  • Wang M, Chee J, Tanaka MJ, Lee YHD. Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) and knee injuries: current concepts for female athletes. J ISAKOS. 2024 Aug;9(4):781-787. doi: 10.1016/j.jisako.2024.05.012. Epub 2024 May 23. PMID: 38795863.
  • Cote MP, Kearney GJ, McKay MJ, Tanaka MJ. Location and Progression of Chondral Injuries at the Time of Revision Anterior Cruciate Ligament Surgery Varies by Sex. Arthroscopy. 2024 Aug;40(8):2229-2235.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.arthro.2023.12.006. Epub 2023 Dec 30. PMID: 38161048.
  • Rogers DL, Tanaka MJ, Cosgarea AJ, Ginsburg RD, Dreher GM. How Mental Health Affects Injury Risk and Outcomes in Athletes. Sports Health. 2024 Mar-Apr;16(2):222-229. doi: 10.1177/19417381231179678. Epub 2023 Jun 16. PMID: 37326145; PMCID: PMC10916780.
  • Petek BJ, Chung EH, Kim JH, Lampert R, Levine BD, Phelan D, Danielian A, Dean PN, Dineen EH, Fernandez AB, Husaini M, Krishnan S, Shah AB, Stewart KM, Wasfy MM. Impact of Sex on Cardiovascular Adaptations to Exercise: JACC Review Topic of the Week. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2023 Sep 5;82(10):1030-1038. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2023.05.070. PMID: 37648352.
  • Nukala V, Baute L, Hammerle MV, Neimark S, Galetta M, Tanaka MJ. Factors Influencing Attitudes Toward Physical Activity and Exercise Education in Pregnant Women. J Wom Sports Med. 2023;3(2):44-57. doi:10.53646/jwsm.v3i2.40.
  • Tanaka MJ, Sodhi A, Wadhavkar I, Kane K, Velasquez Hammerle MV, Mangudi Varadarajan K, Tornetta P 3rd. Redefining Trochlear Dysplasia: Normal Thresholds Vary by Measurement Technique, Landmarks, and Sex. Am J Sports Med. 2023 Apr;51(5):1202-1210. doi: 10.1177/03635465231158099. Epub 2023 Mar 21. PMID: 36942723.
  • Preszler JA, McInnis KC, Baute L, Tanaka MJ. Rehabilitation of anterior knee pain in the pregnant athlete: Considerations and modifications by trimester. Phys Ther Sport. 2023 Mar;60:34-46. doi: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2023.01.001. Epub 2023 Jan 5. PMID: 36641951.
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How to reach us

Contact us with inquiries about ongoing studies, collaboration opportunities, or lab resources:
tertiary
email
Email: womenssportsmedicine@mgb.org
womenssportsmedicine@mgb.org
secondary
phone
Call: 857-282-3909
8572823909
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