UCSF Champions Youth Voices to Transform Adolescent Health Research
At UCSF, we believe that transforming adolescent health requires more than rigorous science—it demands the active involvement of young people themselves.
Jason Nagata, MD, MSc, Associate Professor of Pediatrics in UCSF’s Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, is committed to incorporating young people’s perspectives in his work and ensuring they are appropriately recognized for their efforts. Nagata’s two recent publications for the second Lancet Commission on adolescent health and wellbeing demonstrate his leadership in youth engagement: one sets a new standard for acknowledging youth partnerships, and the other reveals critical data on the impact of cyberbullying that underscores why such partnerships are vital.
A New Standard for Youth Partnerships in Research
When adolescents are meaningfully involved in the design and execution of research, the project is more likely to reflect their real-world needs and contexts. Their insights can refine study tools, ensure questions resonate, and make interventions more impactful by aligning with their lived experiences. However, Nagata notes that "apart from their role as research participants, only 15% of adolescent-centered studies report engaging adolescents at any phase of the study."
To drive better reporting and more meaningful youth engagement, Nagata led a collaborative team, including youth researchers at UCSF, to develop a checklist for transparently reporting how young people contributed to a research article. Offering practical guidance on what warrants formal credit, the checklist provides a systematic way for young people to receive meaningful recognition they can carry forward.
Elevating Young People and the Research Community
Nagata emphasizes that authentic youth engagement offers profound benefits for everyone involved. For young people, formal recognition, such as authorship when criteria are met, "can open doors—strengthening applications for academic programs, internships, and jobs, while building skills in research, writing, and critical thinking."
Beyond these practical advantages, he says that "seeing their voices valued in published work can be deeply empowering. It reinforces the message that their lived experience and perspectives matter, building confidence and encouraging future engagement in decision-making processes that affect their lives and communities."
Standardized reporting of youth engagement raises the bar for research quality and relevance, encouraging more meaningful involvement from young people. Serving as an example, the checklist itself was developed with youth input from conceptualization to final revisions. Nagata’s recent findings on cyberbullying’s effects underscore the urgent need for youth-researcher partnerships to achieve impactful solutions.
Why Youth Insights are Crucial: The Case of Cyberbullying
When tackling complex issues like online harassment, youth insights help researchers grasp the full picture and the evolving dynamics of their experiences. Nagata’s recent national study of nearly 10,000 early adolescents, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, shows that children who were cyberbullied at ages 11-12 had significantly higher rates of depressive symptoms, attention problems, suicidal behaviors, and early experimentation with drugs just one year later.
The stress from cyberbullying can be immense. “Cyberbullying can trigger a cascade of stress that affects sleep, eating, physical activity, school performance, and self-esteem,” explains Nagata. “These children can feel increasingly isolated and develop problematic screen use habits, both of which are linked to poor mental health.”
These findings point to the urgent need for effective interventions. "To create interventions that resonate with young people and effectively disrupt these harmful pathways, it is critical to involve youth in the design process," says Nagata.
Adolescents possess deep familiarity with digital platforms, their evolving online interactions, and which prevention strategies they find credible. Without their direct input, interventions often miss the mark.
The path to truly transforming adolescent health lies in the dual commitment of rigorous scientific inquiry paired with the authentic engagement of young people. By setting the stage for strong and transparent partnerships between researchers and young people, Nagata is leading a new generation of research that is more relevant, impactful, and ultimately more likely to create a healthier future.
The UCSF Department of Pediatrics has partnered with the San Francisco YMCA to create a Youth Research Advisory Council that researchers can consult at any stage of their projects.
Authors: UCSF Department of Pediatrics authors on the checklist publication are Jason Nagata, MD, MSc, Jonanne Taleblooa, and Zain Memona. UCSF Department of Pediatrics authors on the cyberbullying publication are Jason Nagata, MD, MSc, Priyadharshini Balasubramanian, MPH, Iris Y. Shao, PhD, MPH, Abubakr A.A. Al-Shoaibi, PhD, and Christiane K. Helmer, MPH. For all authors, see the papers.