The Equitable Sport & Physical Activity Innovations (ESPI) Lab
Principal Investigator
Sarah Kaja, PhD
Assistant Professor,
Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health
View Dr. Kaja's Bio Profile
Dr. Kaja's Research Profile
Program Focus
Our work focuses on increasing sport and physical activity participation rates—and strengthening the quality of organized programs—to improve child and adolescent health. We envision a world where every young person has equitable access to sport and physical activity opportunities that support their healthy development. We know that sport and physical activity involvement addresses and prevents health challenges, and we need to learn how to help every young person feel like they belong in sports and other activities.
Our long-term goals are to:
- Conduct rigorous observational and intervention research that closes participation and health gaps among populations,
- Increase sport and physical activity participation rates among all youth, and
- Ensure that organized sport and physical activity programs are delivering on their promise to help all young people accrue social and developmental benefits.
We are committed to public scholarship. We aim to engage with community members and youth-serving organizations to prioritize community needs. Through dialogue with media and policy makers, we work to strengthen our shared understanding of the importance of all youth having access to high quality sport and physical activity experiences.
Samantha Adler
Research Assistant
Sam received her bachelor's degree in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota and her master's degree in Sport & Exercise Psychology from Springfield College. She has experience as a personal trainer, youth swim instructor, graduate mental performance consultant, community mental health worker, and instructor for undergraduate exercise psychology courses. Sam's research interests revolve around improving sport and physical activity experiences for young people, targeting increased accessibility and enhanced self-perceptions (e.g., body image, physical competency). She focuses on the influences of intersectionality and sociocultural contexts among underrepresented youth, highlighting the importance of: disaggregating physical activity data across ethnic communities; understanding adolescent athletes' body ideals and related emotions/behaviors; and incorporating stakeholder insights to improve sport and movement in diverse populations.
Peter de Ruiter
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Peter is a senior at the University of Minnesota, a computer science major, and Co-President of the University's Nordic Ski Club. Additionally, he has over 4 years of experience coaching youth sports. With the ESPI Lab, Peter is managing and analyzing data from our study with Nordic ski coaches.
Anna Bottino
Research Assistant
Anna is a PhD candidate and research fellow in the Springfield College Sport and Exercise Psychology program. They are also an Adidas x Athlete Ally research fellow. Anna's research centers LGBTQIA+ experiences in sport and physical activity, with the goal of fostering safe and inclusive participation for a variety of stakeholders. Their work has involved sport leadership, collegiate athletes, and trans and gender diverse youth. In addition to research, they have experiences as a sport coach, graduate mental performance consultant, and instructor for undergraduate/graduate sport, exercise, and research related courses.
Amy Gower, PhD
Research Associate
(she/her)
Amy has a BA in Psychology and Women's Studies from Wellesley College and a PhD in Child Development from the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on the ways communities and schools can support youth with marginalized identities to thrive. As a self-described data nerd, she is particularly passionate about helping people use data to fuel work that promotes equity and belonging.
Katie Pierson, MA
Communications Strategist
(she/her)
Katie has a BA in American History from the University of Pennsylvania and an MA in American History from the University of Minnesota. After 15 years of non-profit consulting, she provides content, coaching, mentoring, and technical assistance to diverse healthy youth development research teams, building traction in support of health equity and systems change. She loves using her academic training, creative writing chops, and professional advocacy experience to translate and disseminate the science into public-facing products, policy, and practice.