Our Center supports MS, MPH, PhD, DNP, and post-doctoral curricula in adolescent health with stipends and tuition support for students and fellows, and post-doctoral fellowships in adolescent health - including distance learning options - that integrate knowledge and skills in leadership, research and public health practice to improve our capacity for addressing the health needs of young people. Through intensive learning institutes and workshops, we provide continuing education options in adolescent health and leadership for those in practice across all health disciplines. Serving as a national hub for health professionals specializing in adolescent health, we disseminate educational resources, offer continuing education, and provide technical assistance/consultation to our maternal and child health (MCH) partners.

Mission
Improve the health of adolescents by enhancing health professionals to respond to the unique and emerging health needs of young people, at individual, community and population levels.

Goals

• Offer stipends education and post-doctoral fellowships in adolescent health. Educational offerings use a resilience paradigm within an ecological model to understand influences on adolescents' health. Leadership, training and practice is organized within the four domains for Competencies for Education in Maternal and Child Health (MCH):
  1. Scientific knowledge
  2. Management and communication skills
  3. Policy and advocacy skills
  4. Methodological and analytical skills
• Support continuing education in adolescent health for state, regional, and national and international MCH professionals through intensive learning institutes for on-site and distant learners.
• Disseminate educational resources, including evidence-based best practices and curricular models for graduate and post-graduate education in adolescent health.
• Provide technical assistance and consultation to MCH and CDC partners in the state, region and U.S.

Funding

• Center for Adolescent Nursing, Maternal Child Health Bureau (MCHB), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), since 1993
• Adolescent Health Protection Research Training, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), since 2004

Research areas

• Alternative and complementary therapies
• Eating behaviors, obesity and exercise
• Health and services for Latina/o young people
• Out-of-home and homeless youth
• Promoting sexual behaviors
• Violence-prevention in clinical and community settings
• Youth development for prevention of risk and promotion of protection