Cannabis and Youth
As a pediatrician who exclusively works with homeless and underserved youth, Dr. Gary has witnessed firsthand the effects substance use has on youth and families. He has been a strong advocate for cannabis advertising reform to prevent the cannabis industry from directly marketing to youth. He has worked alongside elected officials both in Arizona and nationally to help draft sensible cannabis advertising restrictions. As an expert in the field, he has been called to speak to numerous organizations about the cannabis advertising and the harm it does to our nation’s youth.
Fentanyl and Youth
Dr. Gary gives advice on how to talk to teens about Fentanyl, which teens are at risk for Fentanyl use, and signs of Fentanyl overdose, at a town hall meeting for Phoenix Union School District.
Child Family Health International
Dr. Gary’s passion for providing care to the underserved first started after spending a month in Oaxaca, Mexico with CFHI’s Cultural Crossroad program in 2005. Since then he was the 2006 CFHI Alumni Grant recipient where he created an Alcohol and Sex Education curriculum in a rural village in Oaxaca. He later served as a student-liaison for the Cultural Crossroads program in Oaxaca in 2007. He served on the Alumni Advisory Board as Vice Chair in 2015-2016. He is currently the Board Chair of the current Alumni Advisory Board.
Save Our Sonoran Preserve
Dr. Gary is passionate about conserving open lands for recreational activities like hiking. In 2018 he started a grass roots organization called Save Our Sonoran Preserve to help protect the Sonoran Desert Preserve from encroaching development.
Dr. Gary Kirkilas 