Sally Harris, M.D., MPH

Dr. Harris is a physician in the Departments of Sports Medicine and Pediatrics at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in Palo Alto and specializes in Pediatric and Adolescent Sports Medicine. She is board certified in both pediatrics and sports medicine. Specific professional interests include the prevention and treatment of sports-related injuries in children and adolescents; injuries unique to female athletes and adolescent athletes; developmental issues regarding intensive training of young athletes; overuse injures; sport-specific injury prevention and treatment and the role of exercise in health promotion and disease prevention.

She is also a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University. She precepts medical students and pediatric residents at Stanford and in her sports medicine clinic on a weekly basis. Her memberships include being a Fellow of the American Academy of Sports Medicine and the American College of Sports Medicine. She is the founder and former chairperson of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) section on sports medicine; and was formerly a medical advisor for the California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. She has served as a team physician for local high school and college teams, including Stanford University, USA Women's Basketball and the Olympic Team Physician program.

In 2003, she was awarded the Thomas Schaeffer Award, an annual award given by the AAP, recognizing achievement in the field of pediatric and adolescent sports medicine. She is the author of numerous publications and is the editor of Care of the Young Athlete, a comprehensive medical textbook published by the AAP in 2010. She is a frequent speaker at national and local medical conferences and for local community events and has served as the course director for numerous national medical conferences.

As a physician in the Sports Medicine Department at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, she shares responsibilities of team physician for many local high schools and colleges. Individually, she is the team physician for Castilleja School in Palo Alto, and Priory School in Portola Valley.

Dr. Harris is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, and the mother of two young boys. Her personal interests include travel and outdoor recreational activities and sports, including swimming, cycling, running, hiking, back packing, kayaking, skiing, windsurfing, scuba diving and tennis.

FAQs about Kid's and Sports

• Physical Activity, Sports and the Pre-pubescent Child
  
• Coed sports and children?
  
• Do I have an awkward child?
  
• Encouraging kids to play more?
  
• How can I tell if my child is developing an overuse injury?
  
• How do I prevent dehydration in children?
  
• How should I choose a sports program for my child?
  
• Initially Treating Sports Injury -- R.I.C.E.
  
• Is it OK for my nine-year-old child to participate in a contact sport like football?
  
• Is it safe for prepubertal children to lift weights?
  
• Safe sports for kids?
  
• Should a child stretch before exercising?
  
• Should my child participate in P.E. at School?
  
• Too much sports practice for kids?
  
• Training programs for kids?
  
• What activities are best for my child?
  
• What are the most common types of injuries for children in sports?

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