Office of Child Health Equity

Our Office

The Office of Child Health Equity (OCHE) strives to transform the Department of Pediatrics into a force for equity and justice for mothers, children and families. In doing so, it provides a unique roadmap, articulating how to advance a comprehensive pediatric commitment to new models of impact beyond the clinic and hospital walls.

The Health Equity Alliance unifies the Stanford Department of Pediatrics into a force for equity and justice action for children and families who are most at risk for adverse health and educational outcomes.

Our Objectives

The Office of Child Health Equity seeks to provide a strong academic base for advocacy activities to ensure that all efficacious health and social services are provided to all children in need.

Advocacy requires more than good will; it requires both a base of knowledge derived from analytic insight and technical expertise in advocacy, which must be learned through directed educational experiences. The OCHE recognizes the proper role of such activities within a university setting. Specifically, our objectives are:

Community Engagement

To strengthen community partnerships and service activities that advance community-identified needs

Policy-Relevant Research

To conduct rigorous research to advance evidence on the reduction of child health disparities

Education

To provide community engagement and advocacy training to pediatric residents and medical students

Our Resources

Our Story Bank

Announcements & News

Medicaid Town Hall

On December 5th, 2025, the OCHE convened a Town Hall to discuss upcoming changes to Medicaid. The OCHE’s Dr. Lisa Chamberlain, Stanford Medicine Children’s Health's Chief Health Equity Officer Dr. Ndidi Unaka, and the Children’s Specialty Care Coalition’s Director of Government Affairs & Programs Katie Layton shared important updates and information. This was one out of twelve sessions in a Town Hall series organized by the OCHE to cover current topics.

Rhonda McClinton Brown Community-Engaged Leader Award

On September 30, 2025, Dr. Janine Bruce, OCHE’s Associate Director, received the Rhonda McClinton Brown Community-Engaged Leader Award at Stanford School of Medicine's 23rd Annual Community Health Symposium. The award recognizes Dr. Bruce's years of empowering students, residents, fellows, and faculty in community-engaged research and advocacy.

Health Equity Rounds Presentation at NASPGHAN Annual Meeting

On November 7, 2025, Dr. Peace N Dike, part of OCHE’s Core Leadership Team, gave a presentation titled “Health Equity Grand Rounds: A Case-Based Approach to Feeding Disorders” at the 2025 North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Annual Meeting. The presentation aimed to teach providers how to identify sociocultural and psychological factors contributing to disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric feeding disorders, as well as potential strategies and frameworks to promote equitable outcomes.

OCHE October Diaper Distribution

On October 24, 2025, the OCHE held its quarterly diaper distribution at Gardner Clinic for their partnered organizations and clinics. Together, with our community partner Help a Mother Out, we distributed 799 boxes of diapers to 17 community partners and partnered clinics. To learn more about the OCHE’s work in diaper sustainability, click here.

Poster Presentation at 8th Annual MCHRI Symposium

On October 22, 2025, the OCHE presented its research on the Health Equity Alliance at Stanford MCHRI’s 8th Annual Symposium. Titled “Empowering Pediatric Specialists to Address Health Disparities through Structured Support and Interdisciplinary Collaboration,” the poster presented an evaluation of the Health Equity Alliance through analysis of qualitative interviews with participating health equity champions and division chiefs. Read the abstract here, and learn more about the research project here.

Publications Spotlight

The Journal of Pediatrics

Mobilizing Pediatric Subspecialists to Inform Regulation: A 5-Step Case Study to Reduce Consumption of Added Sugars

Jang Lee, Eimaan Anwar, Alison Clayshulte, Lisa J. Chamberlain, Janine Bruce, Noelle H. Ebel, Christina Hecht, Adrienne Lazaro, Shweta S. Namjoshi, Anisha I. Patel

Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved

Diapers at the Doctor: Addressing Diaper Need in a Pediatric Clinic

Max Lee, Janine S. Bruce, DrPH, Shada Sinclair,, Nicola Gerbino, Vanessa Baker-Simon, Elena Vinton, Samhita Kadiyala, Gaby Escobar, Lisa J. Chamberlain, Baraka Floyd

Journal of School Health

Foodservice Directors' Perceived Barriers to Student Participation in School Meals When Meals Were Served Free of Charge During the 2021–2022 School Year

Deborah A. Olarte, Wendi Gosliner, Leah E. Chapman, Christina Hecht, Ken Hecht, Punam Ohri-Vachaspati, Anisha I. Patel, Margaret Read, Lorrene D. Ritchie, Marlene B. Schwartz, Monica D. Zuercher, Dania Orta-Aleman, Michele Polacsek, Juliana F. W. Cohen

Pediatric Research

Equitable research is better research: let’s invest in doing it right

Shazeen Suleman, Divid Keller, and Maya Raghavan on behalf of the Pediatric Policy Council

The Journal of Pediatrics

The Academic Pediatrician-Advocate: A View from Government Relations Officials of United States Freestanding Children's Hospitals

Eimaan Anwar, Richard J. Chung, Diana Bautista, Lisa J. Chamberlain, Debra L. Best