Impact of Sports Specialization
& Return to Play Best Practices
Guest Presenter - Dr. Ankur Desai
This seminar focuses on the emotional and mental vulnerability that comes along with the pressures on a student athlete (leading to substance use/self medicating)
About Dr. Desai
Dr. Desai, completed his Undergraduate degree in Child Development at Tufts University and his Medical Degree from Tufts University School of Medicine. His behavioral health career began in 2001 in Baltimore, at the University of Maryland/Sheppard Pratt Health System where he completed his residency in General Adult Psychiatry and then a fellowship program in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
After completing his Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at Johns Hopkins in 2006, Dr. Desai worked as a Staff Psychiatrist at CPC Behavioral Healthcare and then, as a Psychiatric Consultant for Community Treatment Solutions, a residential program specializing in treating adolescents with a history of severe trauma. Since 2009, Dr. Desai has worked as the Medical Director for PerformCare, New Jersey, the Contracted Systems Administrator for the New Jersey Children’s System of Care. He is primarily responsible for providing clinical oversight, training, and guidance for the clinical staff who are involved with completing phone triage assessments and utilization management reviews for youth and families in need of behavioral health, intellectual and developmental disability, and substance use treatment services offered through the New Jersey Children’s System of Care. Additionally, Dr. Desai is an integral member of the Quality Improvement Department, responsible for providing data reports on the overall quality trends and service utilization trends across the New Jersey Children’s System of Care service lines.
Dating back to 2006, Dr. Desai maintains a private practice, known as Premium Psychiatry Services of Central New Jersey LLC, where he provides outpatient medication management and psychotherapy services for children and adults and performs school-based consultations and child study team evaluations for several local school districts. He also works as a direct care provider of psychiatric services for a local therapeutic school. Board certified in Adult, Child and Adolescent psychiatry, Dr. Desai’s areas of expertise include Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Childhood Anxiety and Mood Disorders. He has a specialized interest in Sports Psychiatry which involves the effective management of behavioral health conditions and performance optimization in athletes.
As a media consultant, he has written and co-authored several articles on child and adolescent behavioral health issues, including psychotropic medications, medical marijuana, and the effects of computer screen time. Dr. Desai was ranked among New Jersey’s “Favorite Kids’ Docs” in New Jersey Family magazine in 2012.
Parent Regional District Training
Topic: Physical impact of sports specialization and over utilization of growing bodies as well as return to play best practices. The emotional and mental vulnerability that comes along with it (leading to substance use, self medicating)