Adolescent Health Initiative

09/10/2026

For the first time, the 2026 Conference on Adolescent Health will be held at beautiful Huntington Place, right on the Detroit River. Attendees will be right at the heart of all the city has to offer, with shops, restaurants, and the beautiful Riverfront just steps away from the venue. Come join our community of adolescent-supporting professionals!

Registration ends October 19! For full details, visit MichMed.org/AHIConference

IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
Coming soon to Huntington Place: 2026 Conference on Adolescent Health. Caring for Youth in Times of Change. Two ways to attend: Online: November 2, In-person: November 6-7. An illustration of a doctor in a white coat, holding a map with a route planned out it. Logos for AHI and University of Michigan Health, Michigan Medicine.

09/09/2026

We're cordially inviting you to our virtual 2027 Conference, Connect, on May 14, 2027! Our Call for Proposals is now open.

For 2027, we’re highlighting the many ways that collaborative care, interdisciplinary interventions, and youth-adult partnerships can revolutionize the ways that adolescents receive care. We're especially interested in presentations that incorporate presenters from multiple professional perspectives.

Get ready to share your research, interventions, and innovations with our community of youth-supporting professionals! For full details and guides to get you started, visit our Call for Proposals page below.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
2027 Conference on Adolescent Health. May 14, Virtual. 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m. EDT. The word Connect is surrounded by a word cloud of synonyms like Relate and Engage. Call for Proposals now open! Logos for AHI and University of Michigan Health, Michigan Medicine.

09/08/2026

This , remind the young people in your community that accessible, judgment-free mental health support is available. The 988 Su***de & Crisis Lifeline is there for them to call, text, or chat, 24/7/365.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
988 Day. Compassionate Help. Anytime. Anywhere. A photo of a young person looking down dejectedly. At the bottom is AHI's logo.

08/31/2026

"Among all students, rates of su***de attempts as reported in the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys data were lower in states with a higher percentage of schools that had a student-led gay-straight alliance or club, facilitated access to providers with experience in providing social and psychological services to LGBTQ + youth, provided positive examples of LGBTQ + people and same-sex or gender relationships, and identified LGBTQ + resources in their community or online...As communities grapple with how best to improve adolescent mental health, implementing LGBTQ + supportive practices should be considered a strategy to benefit all students."

New research out of Stanford Medicine shows how practices supportive of LGBTQIA2S+ students can reduce the su***de risk for all students, regardless of sexuality. For more detailed data, visit the 🔗 in comments!

08/28/2026

At AHI, one of our central tenets is "Nothing about us without us." That means we can't do the work of transforming adolescent health care without working alongside talented youth!

Today we say "see you soon" to two of those young people, Samreen Khan and Danielle Zube. Samreen has spent the last two years as our Marketing Assistant, creating eye-catching graphics for our awareness posts and doing incredibly thorough research and lit reviews for our trainings. Danielle joined us this summer as part of the U-M Center of Excellence for Maternal and Child Health internship program, bringing her talent, passion, and deep knowledge to AHI as part of her studies at the U-M School of Public Health.

We cannot thank Samreen and Danielle enough for their hard work and dedication, and we wish them the best in their next adventures!

IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
IMAGE 1 is a photo of Samreen Kahn, who describes herself as having light brown skin, dark brown eyes, and black hair. She's wearing a red top and smiling.
IMAGE 2 is a photo of Danielle Zube, who describes herself as having blue eyes, pale skin, and dark brunette hair. She wears a floral maroon shirt.

08/25/2026

Meet Jimmie Lackey (he/him), otherwise known as ABOY, our new youth art consultant for the AMPLIFY art exhibition! Jimmie will be guiding our young artists and collaborating with them to prepare the show for its opening during the 2027 Conference on Adolescent Health. A little more about Jimmie, in his own words:

"I am a fine art oil painter, raised just outside of Detroit in Southfield, Michigan. I dropped out of trade school to pursue creation. Spent four years at the College for Creative Studies and learned a lot about myself and my work. Now I paint to pay the bills. My work consists of just black, white and yellow. For the last few years I’ve been building a collection of moments interrupted by a bright, attractive, and surreal yellow; which takes the form of a smiley face most of the time."

Jimmie's talent and artistry is the perfect fit for helping our AMPLIFY artists refine their pieces and raise their voices. To learn more about the exhibition and our artists, visit the AMPLIFY page in the comments!

IMAGE DESCRIPTION:

A photo of Jimmie Lackey wearing a black sleeveless top, glasses, and a red and white checkered beanie.

08/20/2026

Want your daily dose of youth voice? Take a moment to support the young journalists of the Detroit Journalism Summer Camp run by the Detroit Writing Room and Planet Detroit and read their articles on immigration justice, sustainability, and youth mental health:

Each summer, high school students from across Detroit take part in the Detroit Journalism Summer Camp, run by The Detroit Writing Room in partnership with Planet Detroit. Over two weeks, students learn the fundamentals of reporting, interviewing, and storytelling. With coaching from professional jou...

08/19/2026

Did you miss our recent training, A Harm Reduction Approach to Youth Anxiety and Substance Use? No worries! The full recording is now available in our course catalog. Learn from two leading experts as they dive deep into the data, concerns, and strategies surrounding these interrelated issues. A CE-eligible version will be available soon - stay tuned!

Access the course on demand below!

IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
A Harm Reduction Approach to Youth Anxiety and Substance Use. Now available on demand! An illustration of a heart in a shield. Logos for AHI and University of Michigan Health, Michigan Medicine.

08/18/2026

"During the 2025-2026 school year, vaccination coverage among kindergartners in the United States decreased for all reported vaccines from the year before...exemptions from one or more vaccines among kindergartners in the United States increased to 4.2% from 3.6% the year before."

New findings from the CDC show the importance of clear, evidence-based communication about the lifesaving benefits of vaccines for U.S. youth. For more information and strategies for discussing immunization with youth and their families, see our on-demand training in the comments below!

08/12/2026

We want to hear from YOUth! AHI has a new survey for young people 12-26 to better understand their perspective on their health care experiences. We want to know what young people need for comfortable, respectful, and youth-centered care!

This short survey should take less than 5 minutes. For more information, visit: https://michmed.org/xdrMd

IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
We want to raise your voice! We have a survey for young people 12-26 about their health care. Take 5 minutes and improve youth care! An illustration of a young person behind a lectern speaking into a microphone. AHI's logo.