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Organization WebsiteMissionPopulations ServedProject
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American Lung Association in CaliforniaLung.orgThe American Lung Association's mission is to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. We do this through education, advocacy, and research.The American Lung Association's target audiences include:
• Individuals and families affected by lung disease, including those with asthma, COPD, and lung cancer, along with their loved ones and caregivers.
• Populations at higher risk for lung disease, specifically older adults (65+) and children (18 and younger).
• Current and former tobacco users, including e-cigarette users, who are seeking cessation resources.
• The general public and specific demographic groups, such as Black, Hispanic, and Asian American communities, for broad education on lung health, clean air, and tobacco use.
• Healthcare professionals who require training and resources to help patients manage lung diseases.
• Policymakers at federal, state, and local levels who influence public health legislation and environmental regulations.
• Individual and corporate donors who fund the association's research, advocacy, and educational initiatives.
• Researchers and scientists who receive grants and funding to advance the understanding and treatment of lung disease. 		Manage Lung Health Action Community Advisors and LUNG FORCE Walk event on May 31, 2026
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Community Action Service, and Advocacy (CASA)https://www.casaneighborhoods.org/Community Action, Service and Advocacy, or CASA, helps build safe, healthy, and resilient neighborhoods across East County San Diego. We work with youth, families, and community partners to prevent substance use, support mental wellness, and promote health equity. Our programs focus on education, advocacy, and youth leadership to create positive, smoke-free change in our communities.CASA serves youth, families, and communities throughout East County San Diego, with a focus on populations that experience health and social inequities. This includes low-income families, youth from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people for whom English is a second language. We also work closely with schools, immigrant and refugee communities, and residents in areas disproportionately affected by substance use and limited access to health resources.CASA’s project focuses on youth-led tobacco and vape prevention in East County San Diego. Interns will help with community outreach, education, and advocacy to promote smoke and vape-free environments. Students may assist with minor decoy outreach by tracking data and creating educational materials on responsible retail practices. They will also help plan CASA’s annual Teen Issues Forum, a large youth event focused on health, wellness, and prevention. The internship offers hands-on experience in advocacy, communication, and event coordination while contributing to real community impact.
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SDSU Center for Tobacco and the Environmentcte.sdsu.eduSan Diego State University’s Center for Tobacco and the Environment (CTE), co-directed by Georg E. Matt, PhD and Thomas Novotny, MD, PhD, is an extramurally funded center established in 2022. CTE’s mission is to prevent, reduce, and eliminate tobacco’s toxic legacy of environmental pollution and harm to human health caused by decades of commercial tobacco sales and use through the creation of an open, community-engaged, inter- and transdisciplinary research center that serves the diverse communities affected by the environmental impacts of commercial tobacco sales and use. CTE provides an organizational platform for the next generation of research that seeks solutions to human exposure and environmental contamination resulting from decades of tobacco use, and contributes to California’s comprehensive policy initiatives to end commercial tobacco sales and use by 2035.

CTE is home to a well-established group of multi-disciplinary scholars from different colleges at SDSU, including Health and Human Services, Sciences, Arts & Letters, and Professional Studies & Fine Arts, whose work focuses on the environmental impacts of commercial tobacco use. Researchers at CTE conduct multiple extramurally funded research projects focused on tobacco and the indoor and outdoor environment, including the newly funded Tobacco Policy Research Center (TPRC) for Tobacco and the Environment. Funded by the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program, the TPRC has two main policy goals: (1) reduce tobacco product waste to protect local environments, and (2) protect indoor and outdoor environments from the toxic pollutants caused by commercial tobacco.

**Please note that due to the potential for the contamination of study samples, the incumbent must be able to confirm that they can avoid all exposure to tobacco, electronic cigarettes, and marijuana, at home, school, and work. 		Local San Diego communities at risk of exposure to tobacco smoke residue and/or tobacco product waste.Depending on student interest, investigating topics such as distribution of tobacco product waste around schools (e.g., monitoring tobacco product waste accumulation and re-accumulation over time using a smartphone app), or attitudes toward tobacco product waste mitigation strategies (i.e., survey vulnerable populations about knowledge and attitudes and perspectives on mitigation strategies).
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Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) San Diegowww.saysandiego.orgSAY San Diego’s mission is to partner with youth, adults, families, and communities to reach their full potential. Our vision is opportunity, equity and well-being for all San Diegans.Latine, youth, low income, justice involved, LGBTQ+Advocating for tobacco prevention policies in Chula Vista, San Diego, and the Unincorporated Area including attending events and writing articles for publication
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SAY San Diego - The Collective Coalitionhttps://www.thecollectivecoalitionsandiego.org/As San Diego LGBTQ+ advocates, we unite to safeguard our community from the harm of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. Our mission is to nurture resilience through the creation of supportive spaces, fostering an intentional community that employs harm reduction techniques and meets individuals where they are on their journey.LGBTQ+ Students will help create educational posts we can turn into zines, help at events with organizing and planning, and other projects as they come up.
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SAY San Diego - Policy Research Centerhttps://www.saysandiego.org/SAY San Diego’s mission is to partner with youth, adults, families, and communities to reach their full potential. Our vision is opportunity, equity and well-being for all San Diegans.Youth, Families, Low-income, English as a Second Language, Justice Involved Youth and Adults, Military Families, New arrival/immigrant, Refugee Youth and Adults, Parents, Caregivers, Foster Parents. SAY San Diego has joined forces with SDSU’s Center for Tobacco and the Environment (CTE) to launch the Policy Research Center. With support from SAY San Diego staff and student interns, the center will create opportunities for hands-on involvement in three key policy initiatives:

1. Advancing upstream strategies to prevent commercial tobacco product waste.

2. Expanding prevention efforts and reducing thirdhand smoke exposure in California housing.

3. Promoting education on tobacco and environmental impacts for California students.

Student interns will contribute to the work of the Policy Research Center under the supervision of SAY San Diego’s ATOD Manager.
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Vista Community Clinichttps://www.vistacommunityclinic.org/-Our organization serves all different population groups but our program serves youth, families, low-income and Spanish-speaking community members. Our program is working on several tobacco policy campaigns and there is ample opportunity for interns to work several different tasks around evaluation, advocacy, educating community members, etc.
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