Protecting a generation of Central Valley young people from tobacco and nicotine, in their own language and in their own communities.
This lab exists to keep young people in our communities away from tobacco and nicotine, and to stand beside the ones already caught by it.
Prevention designed elsewhere and delivered in English does not reach the young people we serve. So we work with families, schools and community leaders to build prevention and quitting support that actually fits the households it is meant for, and to make these young people visible in the research that shapes national policy.
It is a young lab, established in 2026 alongside the Center, and it is growing quickly.
Learning directly from young people and their parents what tobacco and vaping look like inside our communities, in the languages families actually speak at home, rather than inferring it from research designed for someone else.
Working with families, schools and community leaders to shape prevention that fits the households it is meant for, and that a young person will actually listen to.
Bringing quitting support to young people and their caregivers in the language spoken at home, so that help is something a whole family can take part in.
Our communities are largely absent from state and national health data. This lab works to change that, so the research that shapes policy actually describes the young people we serve.
If protecting young people from tobacco and nicotine is something you fund, we would be glad to show you what this lab is building and who it reaches.
We welcome investigators and clinicians in tobacco control and adolescent health who want to work with communities that research rarely reaches.
Join this lab and take on real research alongside our team. No prior research experience is required.
Apply to join this lab