American Academy of Pediatrics Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence believes that everyone can be active participants in the elimination of tobacco and secondhand smoke exposure of children. The AAP Richmond Center provides the education, training and tools needed to effectively intervene to protect children from the harmful effects of tobacco and secondhand smoke. **History ** In 2006, the AAP received a grant from the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute (FAMRI) to plan and establish a Center of Excellence dedicated to the elimination of children's exposure to tobacco and secondhand smoke. The Richmond Center was established to help institutionalize pediatric tobacco control activities at AAP and was named in honor of Julius B. Richmond, MD, Chair of the FAMRI Medical Advisory Board, John D. MacArthur Professor of Health Policy Emeritus at Harvard Medical School, and former Surgeon General of the United States. Dr. Richmond, a pediatrician and founding director of the Head Start Program, is also known for developing and implementing quantitative goals for public health, first published in 1970 as?*Healthy People: The Surgeon General's Report on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention*.?[Learn more about Dr. Julius B. Richmond](https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/tobacco-control-and-prevention/aap-julius-b.-richmond-center-of-excellence/dr.-julius-b.-richmond-1916-2008). **Mission Statement ** Our mission is to improve child health by eliminating children's exposure to tobacco and secondhand smoke. This will be accomplished by changing the clinical practice of pediatrics through the development and dissemination of practice tools; research; and improvement of community health. The Center will work to create a healthy environment for children, adolescents and families through public education and the promotion of public health policies to eliminate tobacco.