Our Founder

Today we are a national leader in the effort to advance pediatric medicine, raise public awareness, and transform the way society responds to children exposed to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress.

It all started with our community pediatric clinic and dogged investigation of the question: “What is the connection between childhood adversity and poor health?” Now we also work at a larger scale: building a national movement, advancing clinical practice, and pushing the science forward.

See how far we’ve come and where we’re headed.

April 2007

CPMC Bayview Child Health Center (BCHC) founded with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris as the first medical director.

May 2010

Tipping Point Community raises over $4 million for the Center for Youth Wellness building in the Bayview Hunters Point Neighborhood of San Francisco.

April 2007

CPMC Bayview Child Health Center (BCHC) founded with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris as the first medical director.

May 2010

Tipping Point Community raises over $4 million for the Center for Youth Wellness building in the Bayview Hunters Point Neighborhood of San Francisco.

2013

April 2013

Center for Youth Wellness Community Advisory Council (CAC) created.

Enters policy conversations when CEO Dr. Nadine Burke Harris speaks at Congressional Briefing in Washington, DC on behalf of the National Health Collaborative on Violence and Abuse.

June 2013

Announces partnership with "Too Small to Fail," a joint initiative with Hillary Clinton, the Clinton Foundation and Next Generation.

October 2013

Co-hosts a trauma convening with The California Endowment in Sacramento.

CEO Dr. Nadine Burke Harris receives the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine award presented by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition (NCE).

September 2013

Partners with the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office and Supervisor Malia Cohen to implement $1 million federal grant to address the impact of crime victimization in Bayview.

December 2013

Serves 200+ patients impacted by ACEs and toxic stress this year.

April 2013

Center for Youth Wellness Community Advisory Council (CAC) created.

Enters policy conversations when CEO Dr. Nadine Burke Harris speaks at Congressional Briefing in Washington, DC on behalf of the National Health Collaborative on Violence and Abuse.

June 2013

Announces partnership with "Too Small to Fail," a joint initiative with Hillary Clinton, the Clinton Foundation and Next Generation.

October 2013

Co-hosts a trauma convening with The California Endowment in Sacramento.

CEO Dr. Nadine Burke Harris receives the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine award presented by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition (NCE).

September 2013

Partners with the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office and Supervisor Malia Cohen to implement $1 million federal grant to address the impact of crime victimization in Bayview.

December 2013

Serves 200+ patients impacted by ACEs and toxic stress this year.

2014

January 2014

Contributes an essay on the impacts of ACEs and toxic stress on children to the Shriver Report: “A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink."

February 2014

CEO Dr. Nadine Burke Harris and COO Suzy Loftus, Esq. honored with 2014 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award.


Celebrates the opening of the Center for Youth Wellness Building located at 3450 3rd Street housing the Bayview Child Health Center (BCHC) and the Children’s Advocacy Center. The opening was the culmination of a months-long collaboration between the Center for Youth Wellness and community advocates dedicated to seeing the clinic come to fruition.

May 2014

Publishes first white paper “An Unhealthy Dose of Stress: The impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences and toxic stress on childhood health and development”, establishing Center for Youth Wellness’ emphasis on disseminating learnings throughout broader ACEs community.

August 2014

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 155, recognizing the impact of ACEs and toxic stress on childhood development and sponsored by the Center for Youth Wellness, is passed by the California Legislature with unanimous bipartisan support.

June 2014

Establishes the Community Research Board (CRB), a body of community stakeholders to provide feedback on our research agenda.

October 2014

Hosts members of the Henrietta Lacks family (featured in The New York Times bestseller “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”) and more than 150 Bayview Hunters Point community members to discuss biomedical research in low-income communities of color.

September 2014

Dr. Nadine Burke Harris takes a global stage, speaking at the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting on panel, “The Science of Success: Investing in Babies’ Minds,” with early childhood development champion Hillary Clinton.

November 2014

Hosts the first California ACEs summit “Children Can Thrive,” welcoming over 200 leaders from across the state to address ACEs as a public health crisis.

Publishes “A Hidden Crisis: Findings on Adverse Childhood Experiences in California,” a first-of-its-kind report examining the prevalence of ACEs using data from the California Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

January 2014

Contributes an essay on the impacts of ACEs and toxic stress on children to the Shriver Report: “A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink."

February 2014

CEO Dr. Nadine Burke Harris and COO Suzy Loftus, Esq. honored with 2014 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award.


Celebrates the opening of the Center for Youth Wellness Building located at 3450 3rd Street housing the Bayview Child Health Center (BCHC) and the Children’s Advocacy Center. The opening was the culmination of a months-long collaboration between the Center for Youth Wellness and community advocates dedicated to seeing the clinic come to fruition.

May 2014

Publishes first white paper “An Unhealthy Dose of Stress: The impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences and toxic stress on childhood health and development”, establishing Center for Youth Wellness’ emphasis on disseminating learnings throughout broader ACEs community.

August 2014

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 155, recognizing the impact of ACEs and toxic stress on childhood development and sponsored by the Center for Youth Wellness, is passed by the California Legislature with unanimous bipartisan support.

June 2014

Establishes the Community Research Board (CRB), a body of community stakeholders to provide feedback on our research agenda.

October 2014

Hosts members of the Henrietta Lacks family (featured in The New York Times bestseller “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”) and more than 150 Bayview Hunters Point community members to discuss biomedical research in low-income communities of color.

September 2014

Dr. Nadine Burke Harris takes a global stage, speaking at the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting on panel, “The Science of Success: Investing in Babies’ Minds,” with early childhood development champion Hillary Clinton.

November 2014

Hosts the first California ACEs summit “Children Can Thrive,” welcoming over 200 leaders from across the state to address ACEs as a public health crisis.

Publishes “A Hidden Crisis: Findings on Adverse Childhood Experiences in California,” a first-of-its-kind report examining the prevalence of ACEs using data from the California Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

2015

June 2015

Founder and CEO Dr. Nadine Burke Harris speaks in front of Congress on behalf of the Kempe Center at the Summer 2015 Washington Child Abuse and Neglect Research Visibility Initiative Congressional Briefing.

July 2015

Develops and releases the CYW Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACE-Q) and User Guide as a screening tool and protocol for pediatric care providers, a resource that has been since downloaded more than 2,000 times in 24 countries.

September 2015

Launches the Bay Area Research Consortium (BARC) with a ground-breaking $4.8 million grant from the Tara Health Foundation and in partnership with UCSF and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland to study biomarkers, bolstering research and delivering the first validated tool to investigate how childhood adversity affects children’s health.

Releases policy report, “Children Can Thrive: A Vision for California’s Response to Adverse Childhood Experiences,” sparking conversation about social change.

October 2015

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) hosts its first-ever pre-conference session on ACEs and toxic stress, and features CYW founder and CEO Dr. Nadine Burke Harris as their keynote speaker.

November 2015

Hosts California Policy Convening on Childhood Adversity, inviting leaders from early childhood, education, health, child welfare and juvenile justice from around California, resulting in publication of “An Action Plan: 7 Recommendations for Addressing Childhood Adversity in California.”

November 2015

ACEs TEDMED talk by CYW Founder and CEO Dr. Nadine Burke Harris viewed 3 million+ times and used actively in trainings, college curricula and continuing education programs. The TED talk has been pivotal in CYWs role as a national messenger of ACEs and toxic stress awareness.

June 2015

Founder and CEO Dr. Nadine Burke Harris speaks in front of Congress on behalf of the Kempe Center at the Summer 2015 Washington Child Abuse and Neglect Research Visibility Initiative Congressional Briefing.

July 2015

Develops and releases the CYW Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACE-Q) and User Guide as a screening tool and protocol for pediatric care providers, a resource that has been since downloaded more than 2,000 times in 24 countries.

September 2015

Launches the Bay Area Research Consortium (BARC) with a ground-breaking $4.8 million grant from the Tara Health Foundation and in partnership with UCSF and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland to study biomarkers, bolstering research and delivering the first validated tool to investigate how childhood adversity affects children’s health.

Releases policy report, “Children Can Thrive: A Vision for California’s Response to Adverse Childhood Experiences,” sparking conversation about social change.

October 2015

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) hosts its first-ever pre-conference session on ACEs and toxic stress, and features CYW founder and CEO Dr. Nadine Burke Harris as their keynote speaker.

November 2015

Hosts California Policy Convening on Childhood Adversity, inviting leaders from early childhood, education, health, child welfare and juvenile justice from around California, resulting in publication of “An Action Plan: 7 Recommendations for Addressing Childhood Adversity in California.”

November 2015

ACEs TEDMED talk by CYW Founder and CEO Dr. Nadine Burke Harris viewed 3 million+ times and used actively in trainings, college curricula and continuing education programs. The TED talk has been pivotal in CYWs role as a national messenger of ACEs and toxic stress awareness.

2016

January 2016

Featured in Jamie Redford’s film, “Resilience: The Biology of Stress; The Science of Hope,” selected for participation at Sundance Film Festival and shown nearly 3,500 times throughout 7 countries.

May 2016

Completes FIT pilot study.

August 2016

Completes first-of-its-kind community-based participatory research (CBPR) study on childhood adversity in partnership with Leadership High School students.

June 2016

Dr. Burke Harris, as a guest of the Child Development Agency (CDA), speaks with health professionals about ACEs. CDA is a leader in Jamaica’s child protection system and works to promote child-friendly policies and groundbreaking programs to strengthen families.

September 2016

Visits the White House with Leadership High youth to participate in a panel on trauma-informed approaches in school and specific efforts to support girls of color and rethinking discipline.

Our founder and CEO Dr. Burke Harris awarded the prestigious Heinz Award for the Human Condition, recognizing her leadership in the field.

October 2016

Convenes second biannual Center for Youth Wellness National Conference on ACEs with 500+ practitioners, educators and pediatricians, featuring inspirational speakers like Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha and Bryan Stevenson.

October 2016

Supports launch of the California Campaign to Counter Childhood Adversity (4CA), a collaboration of stakeholders representing child welfare, early childhood, education, health, and youth justice to develop a statewide policy agenda to prevent and mitigate effects of ACEs.

October 2016

Hosts pediatric symposium for 122 pediatricians, nurses and other medical staff working on or interested in ACE screening and referrals within pediatric medical settings.

January 2016

Featured in Jamie Redford’s film, “Resilience: The Biology of Stress; The Science of Hope,” selected for participation at Sundance Film Festival and shown nearly 3,500 times throughout 7 countries.

May 2016

Completes FIT pilot study.

August 2016

Completes first-of-its-kind community-based participatory research (CBPR) study on childhood adversity in partnership with Leadership High School students.

June 2016

Dr. Burke Harris, as a guest of the Child Development Agency (CDA), speaks with health professionals about ACEs. CDA is a leader in Jamaica’s child protection system and works to promote child-friendly policies and groundbreaking programs to strengthen families.

September 2016

Visits the White House with Leadership High youth to participate in a panel on trauma-informed approaches in school and specific efforts to support girls of color and rethinking discipline.

Our founder and CEO Dr. Burke Harris awarded the prestigious Heinz Award for the Human Condition, recognizing her leadership in the field.

October 2016

Convenes second biannual Center for Youth Wellness National Conference on ACEs with 500+ practitioners, educators and pediatricians, featuring inspirational speakers like Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha and Bryan Stevenson.

October 2016

Supports launch of the California Campaign to Counter Childhood Adversity (4CA), a collaboration of stakeholders representing child welfare, early childhood, education, health, and youth justice to develop a statewide policy agenda to prevent and mitigate effects of ACEs.

October 2016

Hosts pediatric symposium for 122 pediatricians, nurses and other medical staff working on or interested in ACE screening and referrals within pediatric medical settings.

2017

March 2017

Begins recruitment for PEdiatric ACEs Screening and ResiLiency pilot study (PEARLS study) in collaboration with the Bay Area Research Consortium (BARC), contributing to the science of childhood adversity.

May 2017

Launched National Pediatric Practice Community on ACEs to support our national effort to transform clinical understanding and practice for children exposed to early adversity through universal screening for ACEs

September 2017

Presents findings from systematic review of pediatric health outcomes associated with childhood adversity at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition

October 2017

Publishes "Adversity and Academic Performance Among Adolescent Youth: A Community-Based Participatory Research Study" in Journal of Adolescent and Family Health

October 2017

Assembly Bills 340 and 1340, improving trauma screening in children, and supported by 4CA's Policymaker Education Day in July 2017, are signed.

March 2017

Begins recruitment for PEdiatric ACEs Screening and ResiLiency pilot study (PEARLS study) in collaboration with the Bay Area Research Consortium (BARC), contributing to the science of childhood adversity.

May 2017

Launched National Pediatric Practice Community on ACEs to support our national effort to transform clinical understanding and practice for children exposed to early adversity through universal screening for ACEs

September 2017

Presents findings from systematic review of pediatric health outcomes associated with childhood adversity at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition

October 2017

Publishes "Adversity and Academic Performance Among Adolescent Youth: A Community-Based Participatory Research Study" in Journal of Adolescent and Family Health

October 2017

Assembly Bills 340 and 1340, improving trauma screening in children, and supported by 4CA's Policymaker Education Day in July 2017, are signed.

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Center for Youth Wellness is not a crisis center. Those experiencing urgent medical or psychiatric concerns should dial 911 or their local emergency agency for assistance. We are unable to respond to messages requesting referrals, treatment or clinical consultations from individuals who are not our patients.