Adolescent Health Initiative

11/06/2025

Somedays you just have to...
🍁 Breathe in
💨 Breathe out
🍂 Transform the landscape of adolescent health

IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
A brown notebook pictured in front of a fall campus background. A sticker on it reads Inhale Exhale, with the Adolescent Health Initiative Logo in the center.

11/04/2025

🦋 Ready for our no-cost, virtual training tomorrow on the impacts of immigration raids on youth? Make sure you register by 8:00 a.m. EST tomorrow to secure your spot!

Hear from our experts on the the widespread mental, physical, and educational impacts of ICE raids on youth, as well as actionable guidance for health care and youth-serving professionals on how to best support young people and families when immigration enforcement occurs in their communities. Important “know your rights” information will also be covered to empower attendees.

Don't miss your chance! Link in the comments.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
Navy text on a textured purple and yellow gradient background reads Immigration Raids: Youth Impacts & Knowing Your Rights. Last chance to register! November 5, 11 A.M. - 12:30 P.M. EST. An illustration of a monarch butterfly. Logos for AHI and University of Michigan Health.

11/03/2025

⭐ Paid photo shoot for youth with special health care needs! ⭐

We’re recruiting youth ages 12-26 with special health care needs to participate in a photo shoot that highlights the diversity of youth with special health care needs— including those with visible and invisible disabilities—and promotes disability-friendly best practices in health care.

📆 Monday, Nov 10 I 6-8pm EST
📍 The Corner Health Center, Ypsilanti, MI
💵 $50 for each participant
💜 Final images will be free for public use!

Eligibility
✅ Ages 12-26 years old
✅ Michigan Resident and a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident
✅ Fluent in English with ability to represent themselves
✅ Identifies as having a special health care need (as defined by MDHHS)
Note: This project does not include intellectual, developmental, or behavioral disabilities.

Interested? Apply here: https://michmed.org/dYgVV

Please share or tag someone who might be interested!

IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
Navy text on a blue and green background. At the bottom is AHI's logo.
IMAGE 1 reads Be seen. Be heard. Be you! We're recruiting Michigan youth with special health care needs for a paid opportunity! An illustration of three youth jogging, one of whom has a leg prosthesis.
IMAGE 2 reads Our latest project! AHI is exploring how Michigan providers and schools can better support the mental health of youth with special health care needs (YSHCN) and their caregivers. Part of the project will create inclusive stock photography that centers YSHCN in health care settings. An illustration of a large group of people of varying ability.
IMAGE 3 reads The Photo Shoot. Monday, November 10,
6-8 p.m. EST
The Corner Health Center
47 N Huron St,
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Participants will receive a $50 gift certificate for their participation!
An image of a purple sign hanging from a brink building with The Corner Health Center logo.
IMAGE 4 reads Eligibility Requirements.
Youth ages 12-26 years old
Michigan resident and a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident
Fluent in English
Identifies as having a special health care need as defined by the MDHHS.
Intellectual, developmental, and behavioral disabilities are not included for this project. An illustration of a young person in a wheelchair giving a thumbs up.
IMAGE 5 reads Get ready to get involved! If you're interested, please complete this form & we'll be in touch! An illustration of four youth with differing levels of ability. A QR code leading to https://michmed.org/dYgVV

10/31/2025

10/31/2025

Get to know our final speaker for Immigration Raids: Youth Impacts & Knowing Your Rights, our upcoming no-cost, virtual training next Wednesday, November 5, 11 A.M. - 12:30 P.M. EST.

William D. Lopez, PhD, MPH (he/him/el) is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and Faculty Associate in the Latina/o Studies Program. He is the author of Raiding the Heartland: An American Story of Deportation and Resistance, a follow-up to his award-winning first book, Separated: Family and Community in the Aftermath of an Immigration Raid. In addition to his academic research on the public health impacts of deportation, Dr. Lopez regularly contributes to the public discussions on deportation, diversity, and Latino culture in venues such as the Washington Post, CNN, San Antonio Express News, Detroit Free Press, and Truthout. He is on the Boards of Health in Partnership and The Latino Newsletter.

We're thrilled to be bringing Dr. Lopez's research and perspectives to our audience, and we hope you'll join us next Wednesday. Register here: https://michmed.org/28Nd9

IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
Navy text on a textured purple and yellow gradient background reads William D. Lopez, PhD, MPH, he/him/el, University of Michigan. Immigration Raids: Youth Impacts & Knowing Your Rights. A picture of William D. Lopez wearing a navy suit and a bolo tie. William describes himself as having black hair, brown skin, and brown eyes. Logos for AHI and University of Michigan Health.

10/30/2025

This , let's commit to thoughtful and sensitive screening to identify youth mental health concerns before they worsen.

Pictured is “20/20” by Carmen Pangilinan, the winner of our 2024 Experience Through Art Award. Carmen's powerful work reminds us that sometimes, in the midst of filling out forms and screenings, health care providers can miss seeing their adolescent patient as a full human being.

Want to learn how to screen more effectively and empathically? Visit our no-cost adolescent risk screening resources, including a directory of mental health screenings: https://michmed.org/xrdDx

IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
White text on a blue background read National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month. A painting of a youth’s face on canvas which is masked by a piece of paper with letters cut out of it that read “Are You Sure.” There are several torn pieces of paper on the perimeter of the canvas that display questions from a health questionnaire. AHI's logo.

10/30/2025

Michigan's Women, Infants & Children program, providing supplemental nutrition, breastfeeding information, and other resources for healthy mothers & babies.

10/29/2025

Meet our next speaker for our upcoming no-cost training, Immigration Raids: Youth Impacts & Knowing Your Rights, happening virtually next Wednesday, November 5, 11 A.M. - 12:30 P.M. EST.

Lupe Cervantes, MPH (she/her) is the CHS Grant Coordinator under Michigan Medicine’s Community Health Planning and Investment team. She is very passionate about increasing quality and affordable healthcare services for vulnerable populations. She has held several roles such as a community health worker, program assistant for Public Health Action Support Team, research assistant for the Carceral State Project, communication lead for the Contact Tracing Corps, and Washtenaw County Health Department community health intern. When at WCHD, she helped expand access to vaccinations for marginalized communities, most notably the Latinx population. She also currently sits on the Board of Health at WCHD where she continues to share her expertise and grows as a professional.

Lupe will ground the session with spoken word performance, drawing from her experiences doing field work with communities affected by immigration raids. Register now for your chance to hear her powerful words: https://michmed.org/28Nd9

IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
Navy text on a textured purple and yellow gradient background reads Lupe Cervantes, MPH, she/her, Michigan Medicine. Immigration Raids: Youth Impacts & Knowing Your Rights. A picture of Lupe Cervantes wearing a blue and white shirt in front of a wooded background. Lupe describes herself as having very dark brown hair that appears black, skin that is Hazelnut Brown: Coffee with Milk, and dark brown eyes. An illustration of a monarch butterfly. Logos for AHI and University of Michigan Health.

10/28/2025

📷 PAID PHOTO OPPORTUNITY! 📷
We’re looking for youth ages 12-26 with special health care needs to be part of a photo shoot that highlights the diversity of youth with special health care needs— including those with visible and invisible disabilities—and promotes disability-friendly best practices.

📆 Monday, Nov 10 I 6-8pm EST
📍 The Corner Health Center, Ypsilanti, MI
💵 $50 for each participant
💜 Final images will be free for public use!

Eligibility
✅ Ages 12-26 years old
✅ Michigan Resident and a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident
✅ Fluent in English with ability to represent themselves
✅ Identifies as having a special health care need (as defined by MDHHS)
Note: This project does not include intellectual, developmental, or behavioral disabilities.

Interested? Apply here: https://michmed.org/dYgVV

Please share or tag someone who might be interested!

IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
Navy text on a blue and green background. At the bottom is AHI's logo.
IMAGE 1 reads Be seen. Be heard. Be you! Calling all Michigan youth with special health care needs for a paid opportunity! An illustration of five different youth using mobility aids, communication aids, or a service dog.
IMAGE 2 reads Our latest project! AHI is exploring how Michigan providers and schools can better support the mental health of youth with special health care needs (YSHCN) and their caregivers. Part of the project will create inclusive stock photography that centers YSHCN in health care settings.
IMAGE 3 reads The Photo Shoot. Monday, November 10,
6-8 p.m. EST
The Corner Health Center
47 N Huron St,
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Participants will receive a $50 stipend for their participation!
An image of a purple sign hanging from a brink building with The Corner Health Center logo.
IMAGE 4 reads Eligibility Requirements.
Youth ages 12-26 years old
Michigan resident and a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident
Fluent in English
Identifies as having a special health care need as defined by the MDHHS.
Intellectual, developmental, and behavioral disabilities are not included for this project.
IMAGE 5 reads Want to get Involved? If you're interested, please complete this form & we'll be in touch! An illustration of two youth posing - one has a limb difference and uses a wheelchair. A QR code leading to https://michmed.org/dYgVV

10/27/2025

Meet the first of our speakers for our upcoming no-cost training, Immigration Raids: Youth Impacts & Knowing Your Rights on November 5, 11 A.M. - 12:30 P.M. EST!

Shahad Atiya (she/her) is an immigrant from Iraq. She practices law focusing on serving immigration populations in areas of immigration, family, criminal and business law. She teaches Crimmigration: the intersectionality between immigration law and criminal law at the University of Michigan (Dearborn). Shahad enjoys sharing information with individuals and training members of the community at know-your-rights events and enjoys representing individuals in complex cases.

We're thrilled to have Shahad leading the Know Your Rights portion of this training! Register now for this virtual event: https://michmed.org/28Nd9

IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
Navy text on a textured purple and yellow gradient background reads Shahad Atiya, she/her, Atiya Law. Immigration Raids: Youth Impacts & Knowing Your Rights. A picture of Shahad Atiya wearing an orange top and staring into the camera. Shahad describes herself as having ashy grey hair, olive skin, and brown eyes. An illustration of a monarch butterfly. Logos for AHI and University of Michigan Health.

10/22/2025

🦋 Why the butterfly? 🦋

Some of you have probably been wondering why we've chosen a butterfly to promote our upcoming no-cost training, Immigration Raids: Youth Impacts & Knowing Your Rights. The monarch butterfly has a rich tradition among immigration advocates as a symbol of movement, resilience, and freedom. We hope that our training, focused on both the impacts of immigration enforcement on adolescents and the ways that health care professionals can support youth affected, joins this tradition of advocacy and positive change.

Register now for this no-cost training, and please share it with anyone who might benefit: https://michmed.org/28Nd9

IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
Navy text on a textured purple and yellow gradient background. Logos for AHI and University of Michigan Health.
IMAGE 1 reads Immigration Raids: Youth Impacts & Knowing Your Rights. November 5, 11 A.M. - 12:30 P.M. EST. Why the butterfly? An illustration of an arrow and a monarch butterfly.
IMAGE 2 reads A Symbol in Motion. Monarch butterflies have been used by immigration rights advocates to represent the beauty of migration and the right that all living beings have to move freely. In North America, monarchs migrate between the northern United States and Canada to overwintering sites in southern California and Mexico, reflecting the journeys that many human migrants make. More illustrations of monarch butterflies.

10/21/2025

A recent study of U.S. youth found over 1 in 5 used cannabis or alcohol to get to sleep, potentially exacerbating issues with sleep quality. The study found that substance use before sleep was even more pronounced among Black youth, young women, and gender-diverse youth (https://news.umich.edu/sleep-trap-many-young-adults-use-cannabis-to-fall-asleep/).

For screening advice and communication strategies to have important conversations about youth ma*****na use, visit our no-cost Timely Topic: https://michmed.org/qNKBM

This Timely Topics module invites participants to hear the latest from youth about ma*****na use and to examine their own values on the topic. Subject matter expert Dr. Joanna Quigley shares research highlights, recommendations about screening and more.