Advancing adolescent health: CTSI’s Jaime La Charite receives Bruin Scholars Award for research on childhood adversity

Jaime La Charite, MD, MPH, an internist, pediatrician, and population health researcher, was recently named a Bruin Scholar by UCLA’s department of medicine in the David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM). As a postdoctoral fellow in the STAR Program and CTSI TL1 Program, Dr. La Charite will use the award to advance research focused on improving childhood environments and supporting early interventions in schools to promote adolescent wellbeing.

Bruin Scholars  was launched in 2022 to support exceptional residents and fellows as they transition into faculty roles at DGSOM. The award provides funding and mentorship to help develop their academic careers and leadership skills. Dr. La Charite, is one of two individuals chosen to receive the prestigious award for 2025.

With the Bruin Scholars Award, Dr. La Charite is building on years of research and clinical experience to design school-based strategies that foster healthier futures for adolescents. A graduate of Johns’ Hopkins’ Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Urban Health Primary Care residency and later, the UCLA National Clinician Scholars program, she brings deep expertise in research areas such as health equity, child and families, and adverse and positive childhood experiences.

Now pursuing her doctoral degree in health policy and management in the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Dr. La Charite is focused on strengthening public services for children and families. Her work uses system and team science to enhance early interventions that foster positive childhood experiences and improve long-term health outcomes.

Dr. La Charite cites the CTSI TL1 program as being instrumental to her work. “The CTSI has provided financial support to provide me with protected time to conduct my research and prepare to apply for a career development award,” said La Charite. “It has also exposed me to mentors, workshops, and coursework to think about how I can apply translational science frameworks to my work with local Parks and Recreation Departments and other child serving agencies in Los Angeles.” 

Her TL1 project entitled “Understanding Parent/Caregiver Needs and Goals for Recreational Programming for Children in East and South Los Angeles County” aims to improve the service delivery and quality of out-of-school time programing for children and youth. So far, La Charite and her reserch team have conducted qualitiative interviews and disributed surveys across Los Angeles to further advance her project. She also presented some of these findings at last year’s Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) National Meeting where she received a Blue Ribbon Award for her research poster (“Parent Perspective on improving Out-of-school Time Activities in Low-income Black and Latino Communities”).

Dr. La Charite’s recent Bruin Scholars Award will allow her to advance her research goals and begin crafting her application for an early investigator award. She plans to use the funding support to continue researching ways to improve health outcomes for youth and adolescents by focusing on evidence-based strategies that strengthen community programs and services.