Established at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles in 1963, the Division of Adolescent Medicine seeks to advance the health and well-being of adolescents by integrating healthcare, health promotion and prevention, youth development, professional education, advocacy, and research and evaluation in response to the needs of young people and our community. Since the early 1980’s the Division has had a special focus on at-risk youth and has developed model programs to serve targeted groups of youth, including homeless and runaway youth, youth at-risk for and infected with HIV, pregnant teens and teen parents, transgender youth, substance using youth, and youth at risk of gang involvement. Through these programs, the Division provides health care, mental health, case management, health education, and substance abuse treatment services to over 7000 youth annually and works in partnership with local schools and community agencies to change the conditions in which our young people grow up. The Division of Adolescent Medicine is a unique resource, committing the expertise of an academic institution to promoting adolescent health and well-being in our community.
