Public Health Institute

Public Health Institute Turning great ideas into healthier communities. For more information, visit www.phi.org.

The Public Health Institute, an independent nonprofit organization, advances wellbeing and health equity with communities around the world. PHI develops research, leadership and partnerships to build strong public health policy, programs, systems and practices. Twitter:

Our focus areas include:

Alcohol, Tobacco, Other Drugs & Mental Health
Capacity Building
Chronic Disease Prevention
Communicable Disease
Disabilities
Environmental Health
Global Health
Healthy Communities
Public Health Systems, Services & Research
Technology & Innovation
Women, Youth & Children's Health

Find out more about our impacts on public health at www.phi.org

Join PHI’s Alcohol Research Group (Public Health Institute) on Tuesday, March 17, for the next session in the I-STARR we...
02/24/2026

Join PHI’s Alcohol Research Group (Public Health Institute) on Tuesday, March 17, for the next session in the I-STARR webinar series, which explores how to address obstacles and challenges to providing and conducting research on medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in recovery housing. Using data from sober living house (SLH) residents participating in two longitudinal studies in Los Angeles, this webinar will present results from analyses examining whether lapses (any substance use) and relapses (return to regular use) have different risk and protective factors for SLH residents.

Learn more about the series and all upcoming I-STARR webinars:

Join PHI's Alcohol Research Group for the I-STARR webinar series, which will explore how to address obstacles and challenges to providing and conducting research on…

PHI's Lynn Silver was featured on NPR's Weekend Edition this past Saturday, sharing recently published research in JAMA ...
02/24/2026

PHI's Lynn Silver was featured on NPR's Weekend Edition this past Saturday, sharing recently published research in JAMA Health Forum on the link between cannabis use in teens and the development of mental health disorders in early adulthood. The study, conducted by researchers from PHI in partnership with Kaiser Permanente, University of California, San Francisco, and University of Southern California, found that teens who reported using cannabis could face a significantly higher risk of developing psychotic, bipolar, depressive, or anxiety disorders within a few years. The study of nearly half a million adolescents showed researchers the potential sensitivity of younger children's brains to the effects of cannabis, said Silver.

"The brain is still developing. The effects of cannabis on the receptors in the brain seem to have a significant impact on their neurological development and the risk for these mental health disorders," said Dr. Silver, study co-author and program director of PHI's Prevention Policy Group and Getting it Right from the Start.

Listen:

Researchers followed more than 400,000 teens until they were adults. It found that those who used ma*****na were more likely to develop serious mental illness, as well as depression and anxiety.

Thanks to Michelle Burroughs and Black Voice News for highlighting the Healthy Places Index—a powerful data and mapping ...
02/20/2026

Thanks to Michelle Burroughs and Black Voice News for highlighting the Healthy Places Index—a powerful data and mapping tool developed by PHI’s Public Health Alliance of Southern California and designed to identify and guide investments, programs, and policy changes to where they will have the strongest impact on health and life expectancy. To date, California’s HPI has guided over $4.2 billion in equitable investments and has been used by diverse sectors across the state to support under-resourced communities:

New study reveals that living conditions in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, including air quality, access to healthcare, and proximity to warehouses, are significantly impacting life expectancy. The data underscores the need for equitable development and investment in underserved communities....

PHI's CivicSpark Fellowship Program places highly motivated emerging leaders with local organizations to support researc...
02/20/2026

PHI's CivicSpark Fellowship Program places highly motivated emerging leaders with local organizations to support research, planning, and implementation projects for community resilience. For the last 12 years, CivicSpark, supported by AmeriCorps, has helped over 300 communities in California, Washington, and Colorado, while also providing a launchpad for the careers of over 1000 emerging leaders. Returning partner organizations looking to host a CivicSpark fellow starting in October can now apply for the 2026-27 fellowship program. New partner applications open Thursday, March 19.

Learn more, including partner requirements, program deadlines, and how to apply:

Returning organizations can apply to host a PHI CivicSpark Fellow to help advance community resilience goals, with a focus on regions disproportionately affected by the…

Adolescents who use cannabis could face a significantly higher risk of developing serious psychiatric disorders by young...
02/20/2026

Adolescents who use cannabis could face a significantly higher risk of developing serious psychiatric disorders by young adulthood, according to a new study conducted by researchers from PHI's Getting it Right from the Start, Kaiser Permanente, UCSF and the University of Southern California. Published today in JAMA Health Forum, the longitudinal study followed nearly half a millions adolescents ages 13 to 17 through age 26 and found that past-year cannabis use during adolescence was associated with a significantly higher risk of incident psychotic (doubled), bipolar (doubled), depressive and anxiety disorders, lending more insight into the potential long-term negative health impacts associated with cannabis use among young people.

“As cannabis becomes more potent and aggressively marketed, this study indicates that adolescent cannabis use is associated with double the risk of incident psychotic and bipolar disorders, two of the most serious mental health conditions,” said Lynn Silver, M.D., program director of PHI's Getting it Right from the Start and study co-author. "The evidence increasingly points to the need for an urgent public health response — one that reduces product potency, prioritizes prevention, limits youth exposure and marketing and treats adolescent cannabis use as a serious health issue, not a benign behavior."

Read more: https://www.phi.org/press/study-adolescent-cannabis-use-linked-to-doubling-risk-of-psychotic-and-bipolar-disorders/

Oakland, CA (February 20, 2026)—Adolescents who use cannabis could face a significantly higher risk of developing serious psychiatric disorders by young adulthood, according to a…

Change is a part of life, but it can still be hard—whether it’s something we hoped for or something that caught us off g...
01/29/2026

Change is a part of life, but it can still be hard—whether it’s something we hoped for or something that caught us off guard. Join PHI's Cypress Resilience Project next Tuesday, January 27, for a lunch and learn workshop to explore practical, easy-to-use tools for managing stress and drawing on resilience during times of transition.

Learn more and register:

Register here for classes that are currently available and open to the public. Please use the registration links provided below.

On Flipping the Table, a podcast from PHI's Roots of Change, host Michael Dimock hosts dynamic and enlightening conversa...
01/29/2026

On Flipping the Table, a podcast from PHI's Roots of Change, host Michael Dimock hosts dynamic and enlightening conversations with people who are flipping the table to create new ways to feed the world. In a recent episode, Michael speaks with Tom Richards, CEO of Harvest Path—a new tool designed to help support agricultural producers in their relationships with shoppers and wholesale—about how technology can be a powerful ally in advancing regenerative agriculture. Listen:

PHI's Michael Dimock hosts dynamic and enlightening conversations with people who are flipping the table to create new ways to feed the world. Honest conversations…

From PHI's Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units - PEHSU (National Program Office), Pediatric Environmental Hea...
01/29/2026

From PHI's Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units - PEHSU (National Program Office), Pediatric Environmental Health Radio highlights stories from leading experts in pediatric environmental health across the U.S. Each episode highlights a topic in children’s environmental health and brings together two experts from the PEHSU network.

In their latest episode, Dr. Abby Mutic (Director of the Southeast (Region 4) PEHSU) and Dr. Susan Buchanan (Director of the Great Lakes Center for Children’s and Reproductive Environmental Health (Region 5) PEHSU) discuss environmental hazards like chemicals in cleaning products and VOCs in furniture, and discuss things to consider when painting a nursery, myths about the placenta, and more. Listen:

In this podcast, PHI's Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU) National Program Office highlights stories from leading experts in pediatric environmental health across the country.…

PHI's California Coalition for Black Birth Justice recently released its 2025 State of Black Birth Equity report—a lands...
01/29/2026

PHI's California Coalition for Black Birth Justice recently released its 2025 State of Black Birth Equity report—a landscape analysis of research, policy, and clinical findings that assess both current needs and opportunities to advance birth equity in California. Join their team this Thursday, January 29, at noon PT for the report launch webinar. Dive deeper into the full report and learn how to best apply the findings to your work.

Register:

During this launch webinar, you will learn more about the California Coalition for Black Birth Justice's newly released landscape report. You will hear more about its contents and learn how to best apply this report's findings to your work.

Join PHI's Cypress Resilience Project for their next lunch & learn webinar on Wednesday, February 11. Focusing on repair...
01/29/2026

Join PHI's Cypress Resilience Project for their next lunch & learn webinar on Wednesday, February 11. Focusing on repairing and reconnecting with loved ones, this workshop will provide practical tips for rebuilding trust when things go wrong. Learn more and register:

Register here for classes that are currently available and open to the public. Please use the registration links provided below.

Later this month, join PHI's Cypress Resilience Project to learn how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of me...
01/12/2026

Later this month, join PHI's Cypress Resilience Project to learn how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges through their Mental Health First Aid certification course. This one-day workshop, held next Wednesday, January 21, will cover identifying signs and symptoms of an emerging mental health issue, skill-building to provide support, and action steps to manage a mental health emergency or crisis. Participants who successfully complete the course receive a three-year certification, conferred by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.

Learn more and register:

Register here for classes that are currently available and open to the public. Please use the registration links provided below.

Don't miss this webinar opportunity with PHI's Research Group (Public Health Institute) that will focus on the overdose...
01/06/2026

Don't miss this webinar opportunity with PHI's Research Group (Public Health Institute) that will focus on the overdose vulnerability and service needs among people experiencing homelessness. Join ARG on Tuesday, January 20, for a discussion on the role of housing in overdose prevention and treatment, and challenges experienced by people experiencing homelessness when accessing substance use prevention, care, and treatment services. Register:

Join PHI's Alcohol Research Group for the I-STARR webinar series, which will explore how to address obstacles and challenges to providing and conducting research on…

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Oakland, CA
94607

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