By Dayna Long, MD, FAAP, pediatrician; Founder and Director of Black Love Opportunity and Outcome Improvement in Medicine (BLOOM) at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland
Families gather to celebrate at the BLOOM Family Reunion 2025 (above)
UCSF BLOOM is a clinical primary care program rooted in Early Relational Health (ERH) — serving children ages 0–5 and their families with the understanding that healing, growth, and resilience begin in relationship. We know that joy itself is a powerful protective factor: When caregivers and children experience connection, delight, and the sense of being truly seen, it strengthens bonds that buffer stress and support lifelong health.
BLOOM provides team-based, trauma‑informed care, bringing together pediatrics, social work, lactation support, community health, learners, and research — each discipline working in partnership to support the whole family.
BLOOM Resident, Dr. Jasmine Solola (right), working with a BLOOM family.
As I walk into clinic, music greets me first — soft, soulful, familiar. A voice hums through the hallway: ♪ “You bring me joy” ♪ — the kind of lyric that wraps around you and sets the tone before the day even begins. It’s Friday. It’s a BLOOM day.
Every Friday, joy shows up in small and meaningful ways.
There’s music playing as we settle in, a shared rhythm that reminds us why we’re here. There’s the sight of my colleagues — our other pediatrician, social worker, lactation consultant, community health worker, resident, student volunteers, nurses, and research coordinator. On Fridays, we dress up a little more intentionally, not out of obligation but celebration. We know what kind of day this will be.
Food appears, as it often does, without a formal plan or reason beyond wanting to be together. Brunch potlucks, homemade treats, something someone made the night before just to share. We gather, laugh, check in. Nourishment in every sense of the word.
Then there are our patients — the babies we love, the families we walk alongside. We hear about first smiles, first steps, small milestones that feel monumental. Often, as our young moms leave the room with their babies, I hear, “We love you, Dr. Long.” These moments land differently when shared in community. They remind us that growth happens even amid uncertainty.
We also witness tragedy and hard times. BLOOM does not turn away from pain; it holds it gently. And somehow, in that honesty, joy becomes even more real. Our patients look forward to seeing us, too. The clinic is not just a place of care but of relationship.
At BLOOM, we bring our full identities and whole selves to work. Who we are is not something to leave at the door — it is part of the care we give. Joy is not incidental here; it is cultivated, protected, and shared.
By the end of the day, it’s clear why we all look forward to Fridays. BLOOM days remind us that joy can coexist with complexity, that healing is communal, and that showing up — together — is something worth celebrating.
Dayna Long, MD, FAAP is a pediatrician with special interests in community health and engagement, and in promoting equity in healthcare. As the Founder and Director of Black Love Opportunity and Outcome Improvement in Medicine (BLOOM), her goal is to enable every child to be as healthy as possible by eliminating the inequities that lead to poor health outcomes for many families and young children. Dr. Long earned her medical degree from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She currently serves as a Nurture Connection Steering Committee member and Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco.