Dr. Amy Young shares her journey from first-generation college student to forensic pediatrician, and how she founded an institute dedicated to helping children heal from abuse and build resilience for the future.

Episode Highlights

  • 3:34 – Overcoming adversity to chase a dream
  • 8:14 – Adopting a baby in medical school
  • 19:54 – Sobering foster care statistics
  • 25:35 – Stories and lives changed

Meet Our People

Dr. Amy Young-Snodgrass

Chief, Forensics

Dr. Amy Young-Snodgrass is division chief of forensic pediatrics and medical director of the Loma Linda University Children’s Resiliency Institute for Childhood Adversity (RICA). Raised in Fontana in a working-class family, she was inspired by her mother and grandmother’s commitment to serving others through their work in healthcare, rising from entry-level hospital roles into administrative careers. A first-generation college graduate of UC Irvine and Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Dr. Young found her calling while caring for an infant abuse survivor during her final semester of medical school. After years as the Inland Empire’s only forensic pediatrician, she founded RICA, a first-of-its-kind center providing comprehensive care for foster youth and children affected by abuse and neglect. As the children served by RICA grow older, Dr. Young and her team continue to support them through college scholarships, professional advocacy, and housing assistance. She carries forward her family’s legacy of compassion and service, strengthening children, families, and communities through healing and advocacy.

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