The mission of the JHU LEAH training program is to develop the next generation of leaders in the most innovative and effective interdisciplinary approaches to adolescent health promotion and disease prevention with a primary goal of reducing health disparities. Throughout our training the focus will be on approaches that will reduce health disparities so that the next generation of African American and Latino youth will enter adulthood with health status on par with the majority of European American adults.
Philosophy and Guiding Principles:
Our role as clinical practitioners and leaders in adolescent health is to insure that adolescents and young adults reach their full potential as adults while suffering the fewest harms and having the most positive experiences as they pass through this critical period of growth and development.
Using an innovative case study curriculum as well as seminars and clinical practice experiences, the proposed program will train individuals from five core disciplines including medicine, social work, nutrition, psychology, and nursing to integrate their skills through demonstrated leadership.
The JHU Disparities LEAH program will focus on a subset of morbidities that disproportionately affect youth of color.
Our program will focus on strengthening and expanding the next generation of leaders in the fields of clinical and public adolescent health with special attention to the diversity of the work force.
Scientific & Research Capabilities:
Research is an integral component of the training program. A cross-cutting theme to this research is a focus on eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in the health of adolescent populations. Along with the Division of General pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, primary research partners include the Johns Hopkins Center for Adolescent Health and the Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence, both of which are prevention research centers funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Training in nutrition is provided through the Center for Human Nutrition. This collaboration ensures that faculty and trainees have access to applied and basic adolescent health research opportunities and activities in key areas of adolescent health. Faculty members affiliated with the research activities represent several departments, centers, and schools throughout Johns Hopkins University.
The diversity of research projects pertinent to health disparities includes:
analyses of national and ethnographic data to identify adolescent males’ reproductive health needs and barriers to care
evaluations of programs aimed at improving the academic, nutritional and health outcomes among Baltimore City middle-school students
studies of teen-dating violence
the development and evaluation of a mental health intervention for out-of-school youth
analyses of population-based data on low-income urban families to examine predictive pathways linking neighborhood risk, parenting, and adolescent outcomes for diverse racial, ethnic, and immigrant populations
a partnership with the Baltimore City Health Department to develop and evaluate an intervention designed to enhance the family planning clinic's role and encourage parent involvement in adolescent contraceptive method choice and continuation
investigation of race, ethnic, gender and age differences in treatment outcomes and services received for youth enrolled in a mental health program serving youth and families with serious emotional disturbance
the development of a research structure and strategies capable of evaluating the effectiveness and sustainability of promising and evidence based interventions studies
the study of relationships between the built environment, drug markets, and the transmission of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, among urban, minority youth
The development and evaluation of interventions to promote healthy lifestyle choices (diet and physical activity) for children, including adolescents
Nutritional issues and adolescent pregnancy
Funding sources for research projects include Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Maternal Child Health Bureau (MCHB), National Institutes of Health (NIAAA, NIAID, NICHD, NIDA), Baltimore City Health Department, Baltimore Community Foundation, Center For AIDS Research.
For further information about the research program, contact Dr. Kathleen Roche, Director of Research, Johns Hopkins LEAH Program, Assistant Professor, Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Contact information - email:
; phone: 410-502-0509.
Academic Programs:
The JHU LEAH program is housed in the Section of Adolescent Medicine in the Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The Section houses the Adolescent Health Promotion Research Training Program (T32), funded by NICHD to provide research training to physicians in the Adolescent Medicine Fellowship. The Section is also home of the Adolescent Health Research Group (AHRG) which was formed in 1999 and consists of investigators and staff who work together to conduct fundamental and applied public health research directed at prevention and control of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. The JHU LEAH program has strong ties to other schools and institutions located on or near the campus including the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHBSPH), the Johns Hopkins Hospital, the School of Nursing, and others. Within JHBSPH, the Section works most closely with the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health (PFRH) which is chaired by Dr. Robert Blum. PFRH is an interdisciplinary department whose research, teaching, and practice address population change, sexual and reproductive health, and maternal and child health. There is an Adolescent Health Track in PFRH for masters and doctoral students. PFRH also houses the Johns Hopkins Center for Adolescent Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. The Center is one of 33 Prevention Research Centers supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Distance Learning:
Participant as part of LEAH collaborative training program for state adolescent health coordinators
Co-sponsor for Summer Institute in Adolescent Health and Development, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Internships and Training Programs:
Fellowship in Adolescent Medicine (ACGME accredited)
long-term interdisciplinary training in adolescent health
medicine
nursing
social work
dietetics/nutrition
psychology
Clinical Programs:
Primary and specialty adolescent medicine
Reproductive health
Endocrinology/Diabetes Care
Eating disorders
STD/HIV
Learning disorders
Nutrition/Obesity
School-based health
Sports Medicine
Substance Use Disorders
College Health and Wellness
Professional Relationships:
Society for Adolescent Medicine
American Diabetes Association
American Nurses Association
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Dietetics Association
American Society of Addiction Medicine
Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse
National Association of Social Workers
American Psychological Association
American Board of Pediatrics
National Institutes of Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Society for Research on Adolescence
National Council on Family Relations
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates and Practitioners
