Intergenerational Developmental Health Program (IDHP)

Our mission is based on findings from decades of scientific inquiry, which built upon centuries of philosophical and spiritual texts and oral traditions. This work has cemented the interconnected system of health and development between caregivers and their children, spanning generations, and beginning in utero. Our goal is to address barriers common to academic research, including siloed science with little collaboration across fields (e.g., psychology, medicine, public health) despite shared research aims and unclear pathways in leveraging scientific findings to inform policies and programs.

The Intergenerational Developmental Health Program (IDHP) at UCSF, directed by Professor Nicki Bush, PhD, brings together the expertise of researchers, healthcare providers, community groups, policy advocates, and policymakers working to improve the wellbeing of children and their families. Through these coordinated efforts across institutions and sectors, IDHP strives to develop a pipeline of reciprocal learning to enhance the science on intergenerational health and its translation into programs and policies that improve the lives of children and families.

We believe in our science, which shows that effective promotion of children’s mental and physical health requires prevention and care for their whole families, starting in pregnancy. However, current prevention efforts are weak and deprioritized. Further, family-based services and community supports are severely lacking and, when available, difficult to access. IDHP believes we can and must do better, and doing so will require close, trusting collaboration between scholars and stakeholders. Join us in this effort and help to create a future that is healthy together.