About Danielle Cicka
When Danielle started rock climbing, she saw the need for increasing safe spaces for women and Latinas to be introduced to the sport. As a Ladies Climbing Coalition ambassador, she started the Atlanta Chapter which has grown to hundreds of local women who love climbing. She is a mentor for Little Bellas Mountain biking as well and loves increasing access to climbing and has spearheaded several outreach projects in climbing.
Weighted for Strength: Backpacks, Boots, & Bone Health
Too many women are never told that one of the best ways to prevent osteoporosis is to build strength—not just in the gym, but out in the wild.
Osteoporosis is a silent disease. It weakens bones without symptoms—until one day, a simple fall leads to a life-altering fracture. As a physician, I see it happen all the time and it is devastating. One in two women over the age of 50 will suffer an osteoporotic fracture, often leading to chronic pain, loss of independence, and even premature death. Often women are told it is inevitable after menopause. But here’s the good news: resistance training and weight-bearing activity can build bone density and help prevent these outcomes.
Why Get Out and Give Back?
I am a recently graduated MD/PhD physician scientist who loves being in the outdoors. As a physician and a researcher in pharmacology, I hope to focus my career on global health and neglected diseases. I am the first person in my family to receive a MD or a PhD, and have made it a goal to use my platform to give back to the community and pave the way for others.
I am passionate about not only increasing access to medicine and healthcare, but decreasing barriers for other people to experience the outdoors. My second love to rock climbing is mountain biking- I am a mentor for Little Bellas, an organization that helps little girls start and continue pursuing mountain biking. I also love baking and running- trails, road, ultramarathons! Whatever I do, my goal in medicine or the outdoors is to help others have life-changing experiences and opportunities.