About PSR-LA

Our Vision

PSR-LA envisions a world in which the physicians’ adage to “prevent what we cannot cure” is reflected in public policies that foresee and forestall damage to human health and the environment.

Our Mission

Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles (PSR-LA) is working to bring together health professionals and the diverse communities of Southern California to reduce threats to public health related to war and environmental toxins.

Our Organization

PSR-LA was founded in 1980 as a local affiliate of the national organization, Physicians for Social Responsibility.

In the 1960's, PSR helped end atmospheric nuclear testing by documenting the presence of strontium 90 -- a radioactive by-product of nuclear tests -- in children's deciduous teeth. In the following two decades, our efforts to educate the public about the dangers of nuclear war grew into an international movement, with the founding of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW). PSR was the American recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to IPPNW in 1985.

PSR-LA’s early work was guided by a singular mission to reduce threats to public health related to war. In 1989, the Los Angeles office branched-out – the first PSR office to do so – to address environmental health threats. In 1993, PSR-LA added a program to reduce urban violence. Since then, PSR-LA has grown to be the largest chapter in the nation and has played a leading role in national, state, and local education and policy efforts.

Coupling medical concerns with activist resolve, PSR-LA wields a unique influence on public policy and stands as a respected and powerful voice for change.

We are the nation's largest PSR chapter, representing the voice of over 4,000 physicians, medical professionals and concerned citizens throughout Southern California.