What's Happening

By Rebecca Erenrich, MPH and Kristin Kennedy, MS, MPH, CPH | May 27, 2022

The United States is experiencing rising rates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, fueled by the nation’s growing opioid crisis. This issue is particularly acute in Appalachia, where the increase in injection drug use led to a more than three-fold rise in new cases of hepatitis among young people between 2006 and 2012. As we close out Hepatitis Awareness Month, recognized each year in May, ETR remains committed to raising awareness, reducing stigma, and combatting the spread of HCV. As part of our fight for health equity, ETR offers science- and evidence-based resources on sexual health and safer drug use and works and maintains a portfolio of community-driven projects rooted in harm reduction, including HepConnect.

By The ETR Team | May 26, 2022

This World No Tobacco Day, our team is reflecting on the commercial tobacco industry’s impact on the health and well-being of people across the nation. ETR envisions a world where all people have the information, skills, and opportunities to lead healthy lives. We are driven by our mission to improve health and increase opportunities for youth, families, and communities.

By The ETR Team | May 5, 2022 (Updated June 24, 2022)

Access to safe, legal abortion is at critical risk. In the next few months, 26 states could vote to ban abortion, putting in place insurmountable barriers to abortion services for over 36 million women and people who can become pregnant, which can have a profound lasting impact. We’re in this fight and are prepared to be an active, engaged partner in creating a culture that mirrors our mission, vision, and values.

By Vignetta Charles, PhD | May 4, 2022

It’s May the Fourth again when Star Wars fans like me celebrate the franchise. This feels like a terrible time to celebrate when there are ongoing active threats to health care and human rights. And still, if we don’t pause to think strategically, we may well repeat mistakes and challenges of the past. On this day, I will still take the opportunity to think about how this prolific franchise causes me to reflect on life and leadership. This reflection is not intended to dismiss my grief and anger, but because it will help fuel my fire to continue on in this fight for health equity. Fueling me today is the newest installment in the Star Wars franchise, The Book of Boba Fett, and how it has helped me think about our past and progress toward the future.

By Jill Denner & BA Laris | April 26, 2022

We all know that sports and other physical activities have health benefits. But did you know that they can also increase students’ interest and learning in science, engineering, technology, and math (STEM)?  ETR and our partners at dfusion Inc are excited to be at the intersection of these two different but complementary fields.

By Heather Bell | March 23, 2022

A recent ETR project aims to strengthen, connect, and expand existing efforts to increase the number of Latinx students who enter and stay on a path to computer information systems (CIS) at a community college and the workforce. Read more about this research-practice partnership—a collaboration between Pajaro Valley Unified School District, Digital NEST, Cabrillo College, and ETR.

By Stephanie Guinosso, PhD, MPH | March 9, 2022

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress represent an urgent public health issue in the United States. In this new blog post, experts from ETR and the California School-Based Health Alliance describe emerging practices and barriers and facilitators to implementing trauma-informed care, ACE screening, and care coordination for the prevention and treatment of toxic stress in school-based health centers.

By ETR and Roots Community Health Center | February 24, 2022

In this conversation, ETR’s Black Family Wellness team is joined by the Roots Community Health Center (RCHC) team to discuss the need for utilizing a holistic community-led approach to address systemic racism in health care and support the holistic health of Black women who are pregnant.

By The ETR Team | February 21, 2022

As an organization committed to advancing health equity, advocating on behalf of communities that experience marginalization and disproportionate inequities is a critical part of our work. We are taking this moment to reiterate this commitment in light of the recent “Don’t Say Gay” House Bill in the state of Florida and similar movements around the country which further harm LGBTQ+ youth and silence the trusted adults that provide them with safety, education, and resources.

By Michael Everett, MHS, EdD | February 9, 2022

Happy Black History Month (BHM) from ETR! Formally, this annual celebration started as Black History Week and was pioneered by Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950). A Black Virginian sharecropper turned international educator, Woodson would not have his dream fully embraced until 25 years after his death. By 1975, every US president starting with Gerald Ford would officially recognize Black History as an opportunity to celebrate a neglected part of American History. In addition, the celebration highlights the essential role of Black Americans in building the United States from its colonial beginning.

By Sarah Han, MPH | November 19, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of teens and young adults in countless ways. However, as public health researchers, practitioners, and advocates, we still don’t know much about how the pandemic has affected the romantic and sexual relationships of teens and young adults. Last month, a study examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people’s relationships was published in BMC Public Health, shining a light on this important, yet understudied, issue.

By Vignetta Charles, PhD and Morey Riordan | October 28, 2021

As an organization committed to advancing health equity, ETR is dedicated to honoring the contributions, history, and evolving health equity topics of LGBTQ+ communities across the globe. In honor of LGBTQ+ History Month, ETR’s CEO Vignetta Charles chats with Morey Riordan, Founding Director of the Transgender Strategy Center, on the past, present, and future of LGBTQ+ History Month in the US.

By Michael Everett, MHS, EdD | October 14, 2021

What is the cause of the great Health Literacy divide and disconnect between academic research and the communities that are often times the focus of such research? As we recognize Health Literacy Month this year, let’s explore health equity through the journey from health consciousness to health promotion. As we seek out ways to improve the accessibility of research, resources, and ultimately our health messaging, we must also focus on centering our communities and challenging old paradigms that perpetuate narratives of shame over strength.

By Amy Peterson, PhD | September 2, 2021

Our 2021 Kirby Summit explored the relationship between sexually explicit media (SEM), like pornography, and young people's sexual health outcomes (including attitudes and behaviors). Here is what we learned in our research, including listening sessions and literature review.

By Rebecca Braun and Emma Schlamm | July 26, 2021

The YTH Initiative is thrilled to announce the launch of a ZonaSegura chatbot! Meet Eli - the first and only trauma-informed, English and Spanish-language chatbot co-designed by youth to navigate and prevent teen dating violence in Honduras. With funding from the Twilio.org Crisis Response and Prevention Initiative, Eli was built to address a need for real-time, two-way support for violence prevention and crisis response, identified through an impact evaluation of the initial ZonaSegura intervention implemented in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Given the recent rise in gender-based violence both in Honduras and globally, due in part to the COVID-19 lockdowns, a tool like Eli could not be more timely.

By Vignetta Charles, PhD and Yolo Akili Robinson | July 14, 2021

In this conversation, ETR’s CEO Vignetta Charles is joined by Yolo Akili Robinson, Founder & CEO of Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM), to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health services, the need for reimagining and redefining mental health interventions, and the push for reclaiming this month as “Mental Health Liberation Month.”

By Eddie Givens | June 22, 2021
Guest Writer, Community Member and Activist

Eddie Givens shares his reflections on the history of HIV Testing Day and the AIDS epidemic, highlighting the importance of HIV education, health equity, and ensuring accessible testing in every community.

By Vignetta Charles, PhD | June 3, 2021

Milestone birthdays that are associated with middle age can also be associated with a youthful time of awakening. We can say the same about ETR—we’re celebrating our 40th! We are entering our middle age with the wisdom that comes from four decades, while also awakening a new phase for us with the excitement and curiosity and rapid change of adolescence.