Dr. Nadine Burke Harris has been on a mission to raise awareness about the impact toxic stress and trauma can have on children. About seven years ago, the UC Davis School of Medicine-trained pediatrician founded the Center for Youth Wellness, which advocates for screening and early intervention to head off adverse childhood experiences. She now has a much bigger megaphone, having been named California’s first surgeon general last month. Harris, the author of The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-term Effects of Childhood Adversity, spoke with Modern Healthcare population health reporter Steven Ross Johnson about her new role as the state’s top health advocate and how she hopes to use her platform to make California a model for addressing adverse childhood experiences and their health impact. The following is an edited transcript.
MH: What do you see as the primary duties of the surgeon general since you are the first one ever in California?
Harris: I get to shape the role a little bit, but the role is really to be a medical adviser to the government and administration, a health strategist and also a public health advocate and I’m looking forward to doing all of those things.
[For more on this story by STEVEN ROSS JOHNSON, go to https://www.modernhealthcare.c...terventions-priority]
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