Dr. Arendt is Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Minnesota. She has served as medical director for men and women’s intercollegiate athletics at the University of Minnesota for 30 years and continues as a team physician for select female sports. She is also a nationally recognized speaker on knee conditions with an emphasis on those that are more frequent in females in particular ACL injuries and patellofemoral concerns.

Dr. Ayala, a Licensed Psychologist and Certified Mental Performance Consultant, brings over a decade of research and clinical experience to the conference. With a specialization in working with female athletes, she offers therapy and coaching for issues such as performance anxiety, injury recovery, and self-confidence. Dr. Ayala is a published author of over 20 research articles and book chapters; her expertise has been recognized in Trail Runner Magazine, the New York Times, and other media outlets. She holds memberships in the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, showcasing her commitment to advancing the field.

Heather Bergeson, MD CAQ FAAP is a Sports Medicine Physician and Pediatrician at TRIA Orthopedic Center, Co-director TRIA Women’s Sports Medicine, Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopedics at the University of Minnesota, and Team Physician for Gopher Athletics. She is past Medical Director of the TRIA Kids Pediatric Orthopedic Program, former Positive Coaching Alliance Executive Board Member, and TEDx speaker. She has a special interest in young athletes and female athletes and strives to keep her patients active and healthy throughout their lives.

Dr. Courtney Boucher is a feminist scholar who examines hiring practices and organizational culture of college athletic departments and the impact on women in sports leadership. She received her PhD. in Kinesiology, specializing in Sport Sociology, with a minor in Sociocultural Studies in Education in August 2022. Boucher is now the Assistant Director of Research and Programming in the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport and an instructor in the School of Kinesiology. While Boucher wears many hats in this role, her primary responsibilities include being the product owner of the Tucker Center’s latest initiative Coaching HER and organizing community outreach events such as the Women Coaches Symposium. She is passionate about creating spaces where women feel seen and valued in sport. Boucher received her master’s from the University of Minnesota in the spring of 2019, studying the hiring practices of NCAA Division-I athletic directors. Before her graduate studies, Boucher was the Assistant Hockey Coach at her alma mater, Gustavus Adolphus College. Boucher graduated from Gustavus with B.A. in Chemistry and a minor in Political Science.

Dr. Heather Cichanowski is a primary care sports medicine physician at TRIA Woodbury. She is the medical director of Women’s Sports Medicine at TRIA which includes a multidisciplinary team of sports medicine experts providing a collaborative approach to care of active females. Dr. Cichanowski has recently co-authored a patellofemoral pain chapter in The Female Athlete book. She is the head team physician for the US Cross-Country Ski team and was honored to be part of team USA for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Carla DiGirolamo is a double Board Certified Obstetrician Gynecologist / Reproductive Endocrinologist, Menopause Society Certified Menopause Practitioner, former PhD molecular biologist, CrossFit Level 1 trainer, PN Certified Nutrition Coach, and lifelong recreational athlete. She is currently a partner physician at Boston IVF in Waltham, MA, but will be retiring from this position and launching her solo full-time medical consultation practice specializing in the reproductive endocrine needs of high-performing women from puberty through menopause in January 2025.

Tiffany Etterman is an obstetrician and gynecologist at Park Nicollet Women’s Center. She is a graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College and Pacific Northwest University College of Medicine.

Linda Flanagan is a freelance journalist, former cross-country and track coach, and author of Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids’ Sports–and Why It Matters. A graduate of Lehigh University, Flanagan holds master’s degrees from Oxford University and the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy and was an analyst for the National Security Program at Harvard University. She is a founding board member of the New York City chapter of the Positive Coaching Alliance and a 2020–21 advisory group member for the Aspen Institute’s Reimagining School Sports initiative, and her writing on sports has appeared in The Atlantic, Runner’s World, and on NPR’s education site MindShift, where she is a regular contributor. A mother of three and a lifelong athlete, Flanagan lives in New Jersey.

Alicia Harrison is an Associate Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Minnesota with a practice focusing on shoulder and elbow surgery. She is the Orthopedic Surgery Residency Program Director and is faculty for the University of Minnesota/TRIA Sports Medicine and Shoulder Fellowship Program. She is the Orthopedic Team Physician for University of Minnesota Gopher Women’s Hockey.

Suzanne Hecht, MD, FACSM, FAMSSM, is an Associate Professor in the University of Minnesota Department of Family Medicine and Community Health; Program in Sports Medicine and directs the University of Minnesota Sports Medicine Fellowship. She sees patients at University of Minnesota Physicians Sports Medicine Clinic and has a Certificate of Added Qualifications in sports medicine and certification in clinical densitometry. Hecht is a team physician for the University of Minnesota athletes as well as the US Figure Skating National team. Dr. Hecht is nationally known as a medical expert on the Female and Male Athlete Triad and bone health in athletes.

Ethelind Kaba is the Executive Director of the Ann Bancroft Foundation, a statewide nonprofit organization working to close gender gaps by inspiring, supporting, and equipping K-12 girls with the tools to realize their full potential. She oversees and guides the organization’s efforts to expand investments, access, and opportunities for young women in Minnesota. Passionate about advancing equity, human dignity, and potential, Ethelind also previously founded The Stargirl Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering teen and tween girls, for which she was named a Changemaker by MN Women’s Press. In her volunteer and board roles, Ethelind offers her experience and talents to several organizations, including The Jeremiah Program, a nationwide organization dedicated to transforming the lives of low-income single mothers and their children. She is also a Board of Regent at Augsburg University, a private university known for its commitment to an intentional experience for all students. She serves on a committee at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, which focuses on affordable homeownership to build generational wealth. Ethelind has been published in several publications and invited to speak to corporate and nonprofit organizations nationwide on economic mobility, removing barriers for women and girls to thrive, advancing workplace belonging, and breaking generational cycles of poverty. An immigrant from Ghana, Ethelind lives in Edina with her three children, where she is still trying to figure out how to fall in love with road trips

Pete Larson is the Physical Therapy Supervisor at TRIA Orthopedics in Woodbury, Minnesota. He is the physical therapy lead for the TRIA Women’s Sports Medicine program and was a co-author on the article “Optimizing Rehabilitation and Return to Sport in Athletes With Anterior Knee Pain Using a Biomechanical Perspective”. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Physical Therapy program and is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association.

Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D. is a Senior Lecturer in the area of social and behavioral sciences in the School of Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota and the Director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport. Through action-oriented collaborative research, she translates data and answers critical questions that can make a difference in the lives of girls and women. As a leading scholar on gender, leadership and women coaches, she has published 100+ book chapters, research reports and peer-reviewed articles in top-rated journals. Her seminal research includes the annual Women in College Coaching Report Card™ which is aimed at retaining and increasing the number of women in the coaching profession and holding decision makers accountable, a groundbreaking book Women in Sports Coaching (2016), and a documentary GAME ON: Women Can Coach (2018). GAME ON is the third Emmy-nominated collaborative film project with tptMN; along with Concussions & Female Athletes (2011) and Media Coverage & Female Athletes: Women Play Sports, Just Not in the Media (2013, Regional Emmy winner, Best Sport Documentary). As a public scholar she hosts a podcast, consults with a variety of stakeholder groups, works with industry partners, speaks around the world, fields media requests, provides thought leadership, and serves on numerous mission-driven advisory boards related to girls and women in sport. She is a championship winning athlete, an award-winning coach and distinguished teacher, regional Emmy winner, two-time Hall of Fame inductee and was named a 2023 USTA Champion of Equality.

Dr. Vincent Minjares is a Project Manager with the Sports & Society Program of the Aspen Institute, with responsibility for driving Project Play’s school sport and coaching portfolios. Dr. Minjares’ projects include the National ACL Injury Coalition, a collaborative, multi-year commitment to reduce ACL injuries in high school sports participants through the principles of Collective Impact. Dr. Minjares holds a PhD in Coaching & Pedagogy from AUT University (Auckland, NZ) and an M.A. in Education from the University of California, Berkeley.

Anne Moore is a Primary Care Sports Medicine physician at TRIA for 15 years. She is a team physician for the MN PWHL team and Benilde-St. Margaret’s high school. Her undergraduate degree is from Marquette University, graduate degree from Arizona State, medical degree from University of Minnesota, with residency and Sports Medicine fellowship also completed in Minnesota.

Diane Muenchow is a Doctor of Physical Therapy at TRIA Orthopedics in Bloomington, MN with a passionate interest in Women’s Pelvic Health focusing on the influence in athletes of all ages. As a former Division 1 basketball player, and graduate of The University of Evansville in Indiana, she understands the high level of physical demand on the athlete as well as the unique psychosocial influences on individuals.

As a parent, sports broadcaster and former collegiate athlete, Lea B. Olsen has experienced sports culture from every angle.

Kristin Popp is a Research Scientist at TRIA Orthopedic Center and the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine and serves as a scientific consultant for the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance. She is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research. She has published widely on bone physiology and modifiable risk factors for bone stress injuries in military recruits and endurance athletes. She holds a PhD in Kinesiology form the University of Minnesota and has 15 years of experience coaching endurance athletes.

Kaitlyn Pscodna earned her degree in Dietetics from Michigan State University and completed her dietetic internship at the University of Minnesota – The Emily Program (eating disorder emphasis). Kaitlyn currently owns her own private practice, Kaitlyn Pscodna LLC, serves as the sports dietitian for Track and Field, Cross Country and Gymnastics at the University of Minnesota and is the lead dietitian for the students at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Kaitlyn is also finishing up her Master of Social Work at the University of Michigan.

Katie Rizzone is an Associate Professor of Orthopaedics and Pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York. She is the head team physician for the State University of New York at Brockport and a one of the team physicians for US Rowing. Her research focuses on sports bras, running medicine and non-operative care of osteoarthritis.

Hannah Silva-Breen is a current doctoral student in sport, exercise, and performance psychology and a master’s student in clinical mental health counseling at West Virginia University. She earned a master’s degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in sport and exercise psychology from the University of Minnesota in 2022 where she also served as a research assistant in the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport. Before her graduate education, Hannah worked as a Mental Health Practitioner at the Emily Program, supporting clients in their eating disorder treatment. Hannah has also been a girl’s AAU basketball coach for over 10 years. Her research areas of interest include body image, disordered eating, and mental health in sport.

I am a registered dietitian who is board certified in sports nutrition, and I work as member of the women’s sports medicine team at TRIA. I work with active women (and men) of all ages and abilities and aim to help my patients address concerns related to proper fueling for sport, recovery from and prevention of injuries, and women’s health. I also have experience and expertise working with disordered eating and eating disorders. I have a particular passion for talking about women’s health and hormones and have dedicated my life and career to helping people understand what it means to eat enough, for sport and life, and avoid the impacts of RED-S and/or clinical eating disorders. I am also dedicated to helping women and girls understand more about their bodies, and I hope to continue to normalize these conversations to help empower the next generation of active women.

Lisa Woodroffe is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Iowa. She is a team physician and Director of the female athlete program for UI Athletics. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa and a mom of 3 including twins born during fellowship.

Dr. Sarah Zipp is an Associate Professor and Program Director for Sport Management at Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland. She is a leading researcher and advocate for menstrual health literacy in sport, publishing multiple journal articles, book chapters, and media articles on the topic. Dr. Zipp launched the “Power to Play Period” program in 2020, delivering menstrual health workshops to coaches and organizations around the world.

Heather Bergeson, MD, CAQSM
TRIA / University of Minnesota

Courtney Boucher, PhD
Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport

Heather Cichanowski, MD, CAQSM
TRIA Orthopedic Center

Nicole LaVoi, PhD
Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport

Julie Manning
University of Minnesota

Kristin Popp, PhD
TRIA Orthopedic Center

Joi Thomas
University of Minnesota