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April 2022 Newsletter

Welcome to the first ACEs Aware Newsletter from UCAAN!

In October 2021, the UCLA-UCSF ACEs Aware Family Resilience Network (UCAAN) assumed leadership of ACEs Aware at the request of first-ever California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris. Since then, we have been hard at work building out UCAAN’s structure, team, and operations to work toward our goal of elevating protective factors, strengths, and resilience in clinical settings and across networks of care.

Together, over the past 2 years, we have established a strong foundation for ACEs Aware, and you are key to our continued success. Since January 2020, more than 640,700 people have been screened for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) (read more about our progress). UCAAN is leveraging that momentum to:

Increase trainings to screen for ACEs and integrate screening and response into practice.
Support clinical teams to treat and heal patients from the impact of toxic stress resulting from ACEs.

We look forward to sharing real stories from the field, news, and resources every month. We also want to hear from you — everything from success stories to struggles — we’re all on this journey together. Feel free to reply to this email to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.

Most importantly, thank you for your dedication to helping Californians live to their fullest potential by reducing the impacts of ACEs and toxic stress. You’re part of a movement that is transforming lives and the best part is, we’re just getting started.

Sincerely,

Shannon Thyne, MD

Co-Principal Investigator, UCAAN

Professor & Vice Chair, Pediatrics at UCLA; Chief of Pediatrics at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center; Director of Pediatrics, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services

Edward Machtinger, MD

Co-Principal Investigator, UCAAN

Professor of Medicine at UCSF

Director, Center to Advance Trauma Informed Health Care (CTHC) at UCSF; Director, Women’s HIV Program at UCSF

Our Values

Updates & Opportunities

New Funding Opportunity: PRACTICE Grant

UCAAN and Population Health Innovation Lab are excited to announce the opening of a new grant RFI. In order to strengthen partnerships to screen for ACEs, the Preventing and Responding to ACE-Associated Health Conditions and Toxic Stress in Clinics through Community Engagement (PRACTICE) grant will award up to 30 grants of up to $1M each to clinical teams mobilizing to prevent, train, screen, and treat ACEs in CA Communities.

UCAAN Staff Spotlight:

Emily Williams

Emily C. Williams is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UCAAN, which is housed within the Department of Pediatrics at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.

For 6 years, she served as a senior adviser for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Second District. Prior to joining the county, Emily worked for the City of Los Angeles as deputy chief of staff to former City Councilmember (now U.S. Representative) Tony Cárdenas (CA-29) and as a civilian commander for the Los Angeles Fire Department. Her past work experience makes her well-positioned to lead UCAAN and its work to the next level, while her own childhood gives her a unique perspective and passion for the journey ahead. Let's get to know Emily better by learning more about her and her vision for UCAAN...

What is your long-term strategic vision for UCAAN over time?

I envision UCAAN’s expansion to other UC campuses and beyond California, where we are seen as a leader on the forefront of destigmatizing ACEs and trauma so that more people can demonstrate a deeper understanding about ACEs and the resulting toxic stress.

What makes you passionate about this work?

When I first read about the landmark CDC-Kaiser ACE study, I was blown away. The study illuminated so many behaviors, conditions, and challenges I’d observed in my own life and throughout my career dealing with large safety net systems. It strikes me as the ultimate injustice that the very people who have encountered the most adversity not only experience frightening health outcomes, but are also frequently blamed by society for their trauma, and then re-traumatized by systems that are not trauma-informed because they don’t fully understand the impact of ACEs.

Do you have any hobbies or fun facts about yourself that you can share?

I love musical theater and performed in many productions from childhood well into my 20s. I still try to incorporate singing, dancing, and acting into my daily life.