Child & Youth Health
Child and youth health includes physical well-being as well as social and emotional health, all of which are integral for positive academic outcomes. UCSC faculty are especially interested in schools as the primary institutions in the US that serve children and youth in ways that can promote good health outcomes.
As the COVID pandemic has underlined, however, policymakers sometimes create disincentives for health promoting activities in schools. As a result, the health needs of children and youth have become even more acute as adverse experiences such as food insecurity, isolation, family stress, and loss of life have deeply affected the mental health of young people. More research is needed on how these challenges can be overcome as the US looks to a return to in-person schooling.
Some of our faculty are focused on the ways that children and youth in badly affected communities can step into leadership positions and be empowered to enact change through research and collective action. Others are interested in how local government and community-based organizations can help mitigate the wider structural failings (including systemic racism) that leave so many children in America vulnerable to ill-health.
Faculty
Donald Smith
Professor
Microbiology & Environmental Toxicology, Chemistry & Biochemistry
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Sofie Salama
Adjunct Professor
Biomolecular Science and Engineering, Genomics Institute
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