The Adolescent Health Initiative addresses critical issues that impact the health, mental health, positive development and life chances of adolescents. Our projects study and develop action-oriented approaches to address barriers to optimal health and development of diverse young people, within the context of multiple social, environmental and cultural forces that directly influence their health and well-being.

Our work is participatory, and is rooted in the lived experiences of ethnically diverse adolescents, including youth from families living below the poverty level, immigrant and rural families. We contextualize "health" very broadly, within the context of multiple social, environmental and cultural forces that directly influence well-being, access to resources and full participation in society, including civic engagement and opportunities for positive development.

LGBT young people have increasingly been coming out at younger ages, compared with prior generations of LGBT adults. These youth experience the same challenges as adolescents, in general, while coping with additional stigma and lack of social, family and institutional support for their LGBT identity. Although community resources and support services for LGBT adolescents have been growing, many of these young people struggle with peer victimization, family rejection and lack of supportive school environments or safe spaces to socialize that negatively impact health, mental health, education and life options.

Our work with LGBT youth and young adults focuses on strengths and resiliency, as well as risks. In carrying out our work, we partner with many community groups, youth and families, as well as multi-disciplinary scholars and providers who share our commitment to social justice and impacting public policy.