Lede media
A street-level view of a tall, glass-covered building on a tree-lined urban street

Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine

The Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine (DAYAM) at Children's Hospital Los Angeles promotes healthy futures by attending to the physical, emotional, and social needs of young people ages 12 to 25. Our multidisciplinary team works to advance the health and well-being of adolescents and young adults by integrating health care, health promotion and prevention, youth development, professional education, advocacy, and research and evaluation in response to the needs of young people and their communities. Our work is guided by both the mission of CHLA and framed by a set of guiding principles. These principles include a belief in the inherent strengths of adolescents and young adults, and commitment to partnering with youth to create sustainable improvements in their environment.

Programs and Services for Adolescents and Young Adults

Training, Education, and Capacity Building

The Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine (DAYAM) has a long history of sponsoring training for local professionals on a variety of topics pertinent to adolescent and young adult health, established nationally recognized training programs and trains the next generation of leaders in adolescent and young adult health. The ACGME-accredited Adolescent Medicine Fellowship Program for physicians, one of only three in California, and APA-accredited pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral psychology fellowship program provide emerging professionals with the knowledge and skills they need to provide the quality care young people deserve. The DAYAM also provides training for graduate students in the fields of social work and public health.

The Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine provides capacity building assistance on a variety of adolescent health issues to youth-serving professionals and institutions requesting trainings and tools to better serve and support young people and to create structural changes in their communities.

Research

The Research Program at the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine (DAYAM) conducts research addressing a wide area of issues relevant to the health and well-being of adolescents and young adults. Through research, the DAYAM seeks to improve our understanding of the risk factors that may threaten young people’s health and future as well as the protective factors that help young people deal more effectively with adversity.