About the Adolescent Medicine Program
At the Craig-Dalsimer Division of Adolescent Medicine, our community outreach efforts seek to break down barriers to healthcare access and allow us to reach youth in nontraditional settings.
Our division promotes an environment that recognizes adolescents' need for confidentiality and trust, while also including collaboration with family members and significant others. Teens learn to practice self-advocacy in order to prepare them for a successful transition to adult healthcare.
Research
Research is an important part of the mission of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at CHOP. Researchers in the division have received funding from a variety of sources to engage in research and program development, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, American Heart Association, Boys & Girls Club of America, National Congress of American Indians, Military Child Education Coalition, Department of Defense, Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, and National Institutes of Health.
We have ongoing research programs in the following areas:
- Building on the strengths of teenagers by fostering their internal resilience
- Health outcomes of disordered eating in adolescents of diverse weight ranges
- Partnerships between parents, teens, and providers to improve health outcomes
- Medication adherence and sexual risk behavior among HIV+ youth
- Adolescent Trials Network, to develop effective treatments for HIV+ youth
- Psychosocial determinants of sexual behaviors and reproductive decisions
- Independent self-management of chronic illness during adolescence
- Informed consent and assent in pediatric medical settings
- Motor vehicle crashes and injuries of newly licensed adolescent drivers
- Developmental processes in adolescent health and injury prevention