Public Health Institute

PUBLIC HEALTH INSTITUTE GENERATES AND PROMOTES RESEARCH, LEADERSHIP AND PARTNERSHIPS TO BUILD CAPACITY FOR STRONG PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY, PROGRAMS, SYSTEMS AND PRACTICES.

CHILDREN'S ONCOLOGY GROUP COORDINATING CENTER, MONROVIA, CA, AT THE PUBLIC HEALTH INSTITUTE, SERVES AS THE CHILDREN'S ONCOLOGY GROUP COORDINATING CENTER (COGCC) IN MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA. COGCC IS THE PRIMARY PROGRAM HEADQUARTERS FOR THE OPERATIONS OF THE CHILDREN'S ONCOLOGY GROUP (COG), PROVIDING ADMINISTRATIVE AS WELL AS STATISTICAL AND DATA MANAGEMENT SUPPORT. THE CHILDREN'S ONCOLOGY GROUP, A CLINICAL TRIALS GROUP SUPPORTED BY THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE, IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST ORGANIZATION DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENT CANCER RESEARCH. COG BRINGS TOGETHER MORE THAN 10,000 EXPERTS IN CHILDHOOD CANCER AT MORE THAN 200 INSTITUTIONS. THEY SUPPORT CLINICAL RESEARCH TRIALS THAT STUDY AND DETERMINE THE UNDERLYING BIOLOGY OF CHILDHOOD CANCERS, EMERGING TREATMENTS, SUPPORTIVE CARE, AND SURVIVORSHIP, AND CARE FOR 80-90% OF THE 13,500 CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER EACH YEAR. COG IS STRUCTURED TO MAXIMIZE EFFICIENCY, PROMOTE COLLABORATION, AND RETAIN THE FLEXIBILITY TO FOCUS RESOURCES ON THE MOST PROMISING SCIENTIFIC ADVANCES. EXTENSIVE COLLABORATION AND INTEGRATION ARE FOUND THROUGHOUT COG'S ORGANIZATION. FOR EXAMPLE, THE STRATEGIC DECISION TO ESTABLISH THE FREESTANDING COG COORDINATING CENTER COMPOSED OF COG'S OPERATIONS AND KEY COMPONENTS OF COG'S STATISTICS & DATA CENTER, HELPS ENSURE THE LONG-TERM STABILITY OF THE COG RESEARCH ENTERPRISE AND ALLOWS FOR UNINTERRUPTED RESEARCH OPERATIONS THROUGH LEADERSHIP TRANSITIONS. AT ANY GIVEN TIME, THE COG IS SUPPORTING APPROXIMATELY 50 STUDIES IN DEVELOPMENT, 80 STUDIES ACTIVELY ENROLLING NEW SUBJECTS, AND 100 STUDIES CLOSED TO ENROLLMENT FOR WHICH DATA COLLECTION IS COMPLETED AND DATA ANALYSIS IS IN PROCESS. ANNUALLY, THE COG COORDINATING CENTER FACILITATES APPROXIMATELY 3,200 ENROLLMENTS ONTO COG THERAPEUTIC STUDIES AND MORE THAN 9,000 ENROLLMENTS ONTO NON-THERAPEUTIC STUDIES, WHICH INCLUDE BIOLOGY, SUPPORTIVE CARE, EPIDEMIOLOGY, QUALITY OF LIFE, BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE, AND LATE-EFFECT STUDIES. THE COORDINATING CENTER ALSO SUPPORTS THE ONGOING FOLLOW-UP DATA COLLECTION FOR THE MORE THAN 32,000 CHILDREN ANNUALLY WHO CONTINUE TO BE EVALUATED AT COG MEMBER INSTITUTIONS FOR STUDIES ON WHICH THEY HAVE COMPLETED THERAPY. IN 2022, THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA) SOUGHT DATA AND FINDINGS FOR BRENTUXIMAB VEDOTIN(BV, A DRUG THAT COULD BE USED WITH CHEMOTHERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH CLASSICAL HODGKIN LYMPHOMA). THE FDA UTILIZED DATA FROM THE CHILDREN'S ONCOLOGY GROUP RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF 600 PATIENTS WITH HIGH-RISK HODGKIN LYMPHOMA. RESEARCH FINDINGS INDICATED THAT BV WAS AN EFFECTIVE MEDICATION FOR TREATING CHILDREN WITH CANCER AND INFORMED THE FDA'S APPROVAL OF THE DRUG-EXPANDING ACCESS TO THIS EFFECTIVE MEDICATION FOR PEDIATRIC CANCER PATIENTS. 80% OF CHILDREN WITH CANCER NOW SURVIVE 5 YEARS OR MORE AS A RESULT OF EFFORTS OF THE CHILDREN'S ONCOLOGY GROUP AND ITS PREDECESSORS.

FOR 50 YEARS, PHI HAS IMPLEMENTED RESEARCH AND PROGRAMS TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF PEOPLE ACROSS CALIFORNIA, THE U.S., AND THE WORLD. PHI IS A HUB FOR PUBLIC HEALTH INNOVATION, PROVIDING SUPPORTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE, RESOURCES, AND INTELLECTUAL COMMUNITY WITH SOME OF THE BEST MINDS IN PUBLIC HEALTH. WITH OVER 100 RESEARCHERS AND PROJECT DIRECTORS - AND OVER 1000 STAFF WORLDWIDE - PHI LEADS NEW RESEARCH, TESTS NOVEL INTERVENTIONS, AND IMPLEMENTS AND BUILDS CAPACITY FOR ON-THE-GROUND PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS NEW AND EMERGING PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEMS. FOR EXAMPLE, PHI PROGRAMS COMPRISE ONE OF THE LARGEST OBESITY NETWORKS IN THE COUNTRY, ADDRESSING AN EPIDEMIC THAT HAS REACHED COMMUNITIES IN THE U.S. AND AROUND THE WORLD, RAISING THE RISK FOR CHRONIC DISEASES LIKE CANCER, HEART DISEASE, AND DIABETES. GLOBALLY, PHI IS DISMANTLING THE BARRIERS TO HEALTH AND OPPORTUNITY EXPERIENCED BY WOMEN AND GIRLS IN THE U.S. AND CREATING GENDER EQUITY PARTNERSHIPS. PHI IS DEVELOPING WORKFORCE PIPELINE PROGRAMS TO TRAIN AND GRADUATE HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS REPRESENTING THE DIVERSITY OF OUR POPULATION AND WHO WILL MEET THE GROWING DEMAND FOR CARE. PHI IS ALSO AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC, SUPPORTING LOCAL MULTI-SECTOR COALITIONS ADDRESSING PREVENTION AND NEW SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE MODELS. IMPLEMENTING PROGRAMS, SYSTEMS AND RESEARCH THAT CONNECT PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE DELIVERY THRU NEW DESIGN METHODS AND DATA TOOLS, WE ARE BRIDGING HISTORIC GAPS IN POPULATION HEALTH. PHI SPEARHEADS TRAININGS AND SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE, WHICH, ALTHOUGH TYPICALLY FRAMED AS AN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE, REPRESENTS A HUGE THREAT TO HUMAN HEALTH. TOGETHER, PHI PROGRAMS ARE HELPING TO CREATE HEALTHY COMMUNITIES WHERE INDIVIDUALS CAN ACHIEVE THEIR HIGHEST POTENTIAL. THE BREADTH OF PHI EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE POSITIONS US AS A PREMIER PARTNER AND LEADER IN PUBLIC HEALTH.

SUSTAINING TECHNICAL AND ANALYTIC RESOURCES (STAR) IS A PROGRAM OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH INSTITUTE IMPLEMENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO (UCSF) AND THE ASPEN MANAGEMENT PARTNERSHIP FOR HEALTH (AMP HEALTH), AND SUPPORTED BY THE UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID). STAR OFFERS PAID FELLOWSHIPS AND INTERNSHIPS FOR DYNAMIC, MULTIDISCIPLINARY, MISSION-DRIVEN LEADERS AT ALL CAREER LEVELS. STAR PROVIDES PARTICIPANTS WITH IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES AT GLOBAL HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS TO BUILD CAPACITY AND CONTRIBUTE TECHNICAL EXPERTISE TO ADDRESS HIGH-IMPACT NEEDS. STAR FELLOWS AND INTERNS PARTICIPATE IN CUSTOMIZED AND CURATED LEARNING ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS GROWTH, EXPAND PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS, AND SUPPORT CAREER DEVELOPMENT. STAR PARTICIPANTS ARE PLACED AT USAID HEADQUARTERS OFFICES AND FIELD MISSIONS, UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMS, AND AT LOCAL MINISTRIES OF HEALTH. CUMULATIVELY, STAR HAS PLACED 143 FELLOWS AND 132 INTERNS, 72 OF WHICH ARE LOCAL COUNTRY NATIONALS AND 19 OF WHICH ARE THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS, IN 34 COUNTRIES PLUS THE US. ADDITIONALLY, STAR IMPLEMENTS SPECIAL PARTNERSHIPS AND INITIATIVES TO SUPPORT USAID'S GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. ONE OF THESE IS PROMOTING AND ENHANCING DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND ACCESSIBILITY (DEIA) WITHIN THE GLOBAL HEALTH BUREAU OF USAID. A SECOND IS PROVIDING COVID-RELATED, GLOBAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO USAID PARTNERS THAT ARE IMPLEMENTING PATIENT MANAGEMENT SERVICES, SUCH AS OXYGEN THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH SEVERE COVID AND TESTING AND TREATMENT FOR PATIENTS WITH EARLY COVID INFECTIONS TO PREVENT SEVERE CASES. STAR IS ALSO REVIEWING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THESE SERVICES BY USAID PARTNERS TO UNDERSTAND AND DISSEMINATE THE LEARNED LESSONS FOR IMPROVED SERVICE DELIVERY. FINALLY, STAR IS WORKING TO BUILD LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT CAPACITY AMONG MALARIA AND TB TEAMS AT MINISTRIES OF HEALTH IN MULTIPLE COUNTRIES, BY EMBEDDING MANAGEMENT PARTNER CONSULTANTS WITHIN THE TEAMS TO HELP IMPROVE THEIR EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS FOR GREATER RESULTS.

THE PUBLIC HEALTH INSTITUTE SERVES AS THE FISCAL SPONSOR AND PARTNER FOR THE CENTER FOR WELLNESS AND NUTRITION (PHI CWN), WHICH IS HEADQUARTERED IN SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA. PHI CWN IS A NATIONAL LEADER IN DEVELOPING CAMPAIGNS, PROGRAMS, AND PARTNERSHIPS TO PROMOTE WELLNESS AND EQUITABLE HEALTH PRACTICES IN THE MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES WORLDWIDE. PHI CWN HAS ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND THROUGH EDUCATION, TRAINING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, ADVOCACY, AND EVALUATION, WORKS TO MAKE HEALTH ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL. PHI CWN IS A REBRAND OF A PROGRAM THAT HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL FOR MORE THAN A DECADE IN ADVANCING SNAP-ED ACROSS CALIFORNIA AND USDA FNS SOUTHEASTERN REGION AND HAS LED PROJECTS TO IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH IN GLOBAL LOCATIONS SUCH AS PUERTO RICO, PALAU, CHEROKEE NATION, AFRICA, LATIN AMERICA, AND ASIA. PHI CWN'S WORK IS SPREAD ACROSS 40 STATES, AND IT PARTNERS WITH 377 COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS WORLDWIDE TO INCREASE FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY AND REDUCE DIET-RELATED ILLNESSES AND CHRONIC DISEASES. PHI CWN PRIORITIZES CULTURALLY ROOTED PRACTICES. FOR EXAMPLE, IT CONVENES THE CALFRESH HEALTHY LIVING (CFHL) TRIBAL AMBASSADOR COMMITTEE THAT INCLUDES MEMBERS REPRESENTING DIVERSE TRIBAL PARTNERS FROM COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA WHO PROVIDE FEEDBACK, GUIDANCE, AND SUGGESTIONS ON NUTRITION EDUCATION MATERIALS, HEALTHY TRADITIONAL RECIPES, AND PARTNERSHIPS DEVELOPMENT TO BETTER SERVE CALIFORNIA AMERICAN INDIAN ALASKAN NATIVE COMMUNITIES. THIS COMMITTEE HAS DEVELOPED A RANGE OF NEW CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE CFHL RESOURCES THAT PROMOTE HEALTHY LIVING AND TRADITIONAL FOODS. IN 2022, PHI CWN ORGANIZED A DATA EQUITY WEBINAR SERIES, "DECOLONIZING DATA PRACTICES THROUGH INDIGENOUS EVALUATION APPROACHES," FEATURING DR. ROSE JAMES, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND EVALUATION AT THE URBAN INDIAN HEALTH INSTITUTE, ATTENDED BY 810 PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS. PHI CWN ALSO COLLABORATED WITH ABBOTT FUND'S FUTURE WELL COMMUNITIES PARTNERS TO IMPLEMENT AND EVALUATE THE HEALTHY FOOD RX PROGRAM, PROVIDING FOOD BOXES TO 760 LOW-INCOME PEOPLE DIAGNOSED WITH DIABETES IN STOCKTON, CA. IN THE SAME YEAR. PHI CWN HOSTED 32 TRAINING EVENTS WITH 1,415 ATTENDEES AND LAUNCHED THE GLOBAL NUTRITION AND PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM TO IMPROVE HEALTH GLOBALLY. THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, PHI CWN COLLABORATES ACROSS SECTORS IN RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION TO COMBAT MALNUTRITION BY INCREASING ACCESS TO BETTER HEALTHCARE AS WELL AS NUTRITIOUS, AFFORDABLE, AND CLIMATE-SMART FOODS PHI CWN PARTNERED WITH 27 RETAILERS AND FARMERS MARKETS, RESULTING IN THE INDIRECT SUPPORT OF 37,512 INDIVIDUALS CONNECTED TO ACCESSIBLE, AFFORDABLE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. THE TEAM ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THE FIELD THROUGH 16 CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS AND THE PUBLICATION OF FIVE PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES. ROOTS OF CHANGE (ROC), ALSO A PROGRAM OF PHI, PARTNERED WITH PHI CWN IN 2022 TO JOINTLY WORK ON ENSURING A HEALTHY AND ACCESSIBLE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN. THEY ARE PART OF A COALITION THAT WILL RECEIVE $35 MILLION OVER FIVE YEARS TO DEVELOP A SYSTEM FOR TRANSPARENT CONFIRMATION OF REGENERATIVE PRACTICES BY BEEF AND BISON PRODUCERS WORLDWIDE. ROC ALSO ADVOCATED SUCCESSFULLY WITH ITS FOOD AND FARM RESILIENCE COALITION PARTNERS FOR OVER $700 MILLION IN THE 2022-23 CALIFORNIA BUDGET, INCLUDING $15 MILLION EACH FOR THE CALIFORNIA NUTRITION INCENTIVE PROGRAM, THE HEALTHY REFRIGERATION GRANT PROGRAM, AND WEATHERIZATION OF FARMWORKER HOMES.