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The UCLA-UCSF ACEs Aware Family Resilience Network (UCAAN)

UCAAN develops, promotes, and sustains evidence-informed responses to prevent and help all patients heal from the impacts of trauma and toxic stress.

In October 2021, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) contracted with the UCLA/UCSF ACEs Aware Family Resilience Network (UCAAN) to implement the ACEs Aware initiative, with oversight provided by DHCS and the Office of the California Surgeon General (CA-OSG).

UCAAN is a multi-campus initiative that leverages the substantial interdisciplinary resources of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) campuses. UCAAN is housed in the Department of Pediatrics at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.

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Patient listening to care provider

ACEs Aware – Leading the Nation

ACEs Aware is a first-in-the nation effort to promote early detection and intervention to mitigate the health and societal impacts of ACEs and toxic stress. The initiative was launched in December 2019 as part of Governor Newsom’s California for All initiative and is a collaborative effort between the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) the Office of the California Surgeon General (CA-OSG).

Learn more at acesaware.org

Academic Anchoring at the University of California

UCAAN develops, promotes, and sustains evidence-informed responses to prevent and help all patients heal from the impacts of trauma and toxic stress through investments in the following areas:

Implementation Science

Build upon the evidence base for ACE science and translate what we learn into clinical and community practices.

Education And Training

Transform clinical practice and build a sustainable workforce to advance health equity.

Community Health

Strengthen the capacity of health care teams in diverse clinical settings to collaborate with community partners to prevent and respond to trauma and toxic stress.


UCAAN Values

Four values inform UCAAN’s work across all departments, advisory groups, and committees:

Whole Person and Whole
Family Wellness

Including the whole family unit in care we provide, including dyadic care

Health equity

Recognizing the role that structural discrimination has played in determining inequitable health outcomes and ensuring access to screening and services for all Californians

Community engagement

Ensuring that we reach communities that have been historically marginalized and underserved

Alignment of systems

Aligning resources and systems of care to ensure that clinicians, families, and communities are able to overcome the impacts of toxic stress

Spotlight

ACEs Aware Progress Report: 2019-2023 in book form

ACEs Aware Progress Report: 2019-2023

ACEs Aware has demonstrated significant progress in the effort to prevent, identify, and respond to ACEs and toxic stress since its launch in 2019.