Near-roadway and regional air pollution, industrial releases, goods movement and growing oil  and gas production in urban areas vulnerable to wildfires all threaten to increase the burden of environmental disease. In California and worldwide, these threats disproportionately affect children, especially in marginalized communities and communities of color. 

The mission of the Southern California Center for Children’s Environmental Health Translational Research is to reduce the burden of childhood air pollution-related diseases by building an innovative framework for multidirectional engagement in which communities, government and civil society use science to develop solutions, with a focus on environmental justice communities. The theme of the Center is Urbanism, Air Pollution, Children’s Health and Environmental Justice. The Center framework includes novel approaches to youth engagement and community science, urban design and policy solutions, and communication and public knowledge.