Lecturer Mary Lesser was invited to speak at the 2019 UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals Pediatric Sports Medicine Update Conference, "A Medical Playbook: Managing Overuse In Young Athletes." Lesser's talk, "Nutrition Strategies for Recovery in the Young Athlete," outlined specific nutrition goals for young athletes during the recovery process and provided strategies to meet those goals. The conference was held in UC Berkeley's own Cal Memorial Stadium.
Lesser’s research focuses primarily on the developmental origins of health and disease, with an emphasis on nutrition during the early stages of human development. She also serves as a Pediatric Dietician at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in Oakland.