UC San Diego Health experts are available to talk about teen sleep, heavy backpacks, preventing soccer injuries, vaccines and more.
Kids are heading back to school this month and UC San Diego Health experts are available to discuss the seasonal health topics listed below. If you have a different back-to-school health topic in mind, let us know, as we likely have experts available to talk about that, too.
Topic: Adolescent SleepExpert: Maya Kumar, MD, pediatrician/adolescent medicine physician
Kumar can speak about how much sleep adolescents need and why. She can also provide tips on how to help your teen improve his or her sleep.
Topic: Backpack WeightExpert: Brandon Macias, PhD, postdoctoral fellow, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Macias can share a few things he’s learned from his research — factors parents and kids should take into consideration when packing and wearing a backpack, such as ideal overall weight, weight distribution and skin contact area.
Topics: Soccer InjuriesExpert: Alan Shahtaji, DO, sports and family medicine physician and team physician for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team
Shahtaji can cover common soccer-related injuries and how to prevent them, including pulled hamstrings, ACL and Achilles tears, and concussions.
Topics: Childhood VaccinesExpert: Mark H. Sawyer, MD, professor of pediatrics
Sawyer can discuss the vaccines children need to attend school, what ages they should be administered and what diseases they protect against. He can also explain why it’s important for children and adults to be fully vaccinated.
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