Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine

The Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine provides the only comprehensive health care services of their kind for adolescents and young adults in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area. Each year, nearly 10,000 adolescents receive care at the various clinics that make up these programs, many of which offer unique specialty care that is not available anywhere else in the region.

Our programs address the unique developmental needs for young people between the ages of 12 and 22. We provide consultative and primary care to adolescents and young adults experiencing a wide range of conditions including acne, gynecological and reproductive health problems, sports injuries, substance abuse and gender identity issues. 

We are dedicated to treating any problem in an adolescent which persists or requires more specialized treatment than is usually available at the primary care level. The range of services is broad, and includes treatment for physical, emotional and behavioral problems. Most adolescents are referred to us by their primary care provider or through the request of a parent or adolescent to their primary care provider.

Our Mission

We seek to improve the health and well-being of youth through:

• Accessible health care services for adolescents in the context of their family, culture and community
• Research to increase understanding of disparities in adolescent health, promote adolescent health equity, and improve adolescent health outcomes
• Providing the best medical and quality of life outcomes, patient and family experiences to adolescents and young adults in our health system and community
• Respecting individuality and supporting physical and emotional growth by empowering adolescents to take ownership of their health care and life decisions
• Division members demonstrating excellence in teaching, creating and disseminating new knowledge and promoting shared commitment and community collaboration.

Specialty services include:

• The Youth Pride Clinic is a specialized clinic providing comprehensive, integrated medical care and mental health services to LGBTQ teen patients.
• The Eating Disorders Clinic is a specialized clinic at Friendship Heights providing care to preadolescent and adolescent patients ages 10-21 years with suspected eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating.
• The Gender and Autism Program helps children with autism spectrum disorders and gender non-conformity.
• The Gender Development Program helps young people who feel, sense or know they are a different gender than the one they were assumed at birth.
• The HIV Prevention and Treatment Program helps with managing and living with HIV.
• The Pediatric Gynecology Program has the experience and expertise to provide the most appropriate care for younger patients.

The division and its clinics accept referrals for patients with a wide assortment of insurance programs. Patients should bring or fax copies of their primary care doctor’s referral to the clinic they are visiting.

Contact Information

For appointments, call 202-476-5464. For eating disorder consultations, call 202-895-3896. Questions? Email Anisha Abraham, M.D., acting chief of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Children's National.