Sparks
We are proud to announce an exciting new multiyear partnership between UCLA Health and the Los Angeles Sparks WNBA team.
This is a unique collaboration, built on the excellence of UCLA Health providing leading-edge patient care, research, education and community engagement, along with the enjoyment of competition and shared belief with the Sparks that women’s sports are just as important and unifying to communities as men’s sports.
UCLA Health will provide comprehensive physical and mental health care for LA Sparks players, who will wear the UCLA Health logo on their jerseys. Under the new partnership, our organizations will also join in community outreach to address health care disparities in Los Angeles.
Community Program Highlights
The Sparks have shown their commitment to equity, justice and improving mental and physical health. By emphasizing these qualities, the Sparks and UCLA Health together will build a healthier, more engaged community. This collaboration strengthens our commitment to serving greater Los Angeles and allows both our teams to empower both women and families.
“It’s exceptionally important for us to put out there in the world that women’s sports, and women’s professional sports, are just as important as men’s sports,” says Sharon L. Hame, MD, a UCLA Health orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist who will serve as the Sparks’ team physician. “We are really striving to create equitable medical care — not only for these athletes, but for the community.”
UCLA Family Medicine’s Division of Primary Care Sports Medicine and UCLA Orthopaedic Surgery will serve the team in equal capacities. Sharon L. Hame, MD, will serve as team physician and director of orthopaedic surgery. Calvin J. Duffaut, MD, will serve as team physician and director of primary sports medicine. UCLA Health also is the official health care partner and provides team doctors for the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Dodgers and UCLA Athletics.
