UNLV Associate Professor Does Research For Elite Female Athletes

Kara Radzak is an associate professor in Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences, which is housed within UNLV’s School of Integrated Health Sciences. She is an athletic trainer with a sports medicine background. Recently, she did a study regarding elite athletes dealing with pregnancy and postpartum recovery.

The research involved exercise, recovery, and getting women the proper information they need, rather than inaccurate algorithms. The importance of this research is to make sure female athletes can easily access the most accurate information possible. Radzak, along with some of her partners and associates, recently spoke to the official UNLV website about this project.

UNLV Associate Professor In Kinesiology And Nutrition Sciences Kara Radzak On Her Research

“This work is 100% personal because I was the woman getting fed algorithms,” Radzak said. “I saw a lot of stuff out there that, as a clinician, I knew wasn’t true. We need to give these women concrete guidelines on what to do."

Radzak On The Research That Is Already Out There

“Women want their providers to have that information for them, but that isn’t always the case. At the same time, we want to help the providers so they have that information when their patients ask them for it. This needs to be a team effort...

There is good research out there, and we need to easily get it into the hands of those who need it.”

Radzak On What Athletes Are Being Told

“We are seeing high-profile athletes challenging this idea that motherhood is a career limiter. Women are pushing the barriers. When I had my second son, there was more information available, but I felt like this was still an area that needed to be addressed from a sports medicine lens."

Radzak On Being Active During Pregnancy

“We know that if you’re active during pregnancy, there are better health outcomes for both mom and baby.”

Radzak On The Research Females Are Doing

“Research has really taken off in the pregnancy and postpartum space, and now we’re able to collect our own data to give people the information they need. There are a lot of female researchers with stories like mine who want to see exercise science and sports science move forward. It feels great to do research in an area that needs it.”

UNLV Alumna Annie Lindsay On The Collaboration With Radzak

“As an Extension specialist working in the community, I have seen the need for greater support and encouragement of physical activity during the peripartum time period and how mom's health and health behaviors impact their children. I've appreciated the collaboration with Dr. Radzak on these initiatives, and we are looking forward to sharing information obtained from these studies this spring as we build more resources for moms of young children.”

Extension Director Jake DeDecker On The Project

“This is one of several projects that Extension is happy to support as part of a collaboration between Extension and UNLV faculty. This project was identified as meeting an important need in Clark County as it provides Nevada mothers with a much-needed resource.”

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