UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco Child Passenger and Pedestrian Safety (ChiPPS) Program

Logos for the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals Child Passenger and Pedestrian Safety Program and the California Office of Traffic Safety displayed side by side on a black background

The UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco Child Passenger and Pedestrian Safety (ChiPPS) Program is an injury prevention initiative dedicated to reducing transportation-related injuries and fatalities among children and families throughout San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. Supported through a $250,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) via the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the program provides education, outreach, safety equipment, and community engagement focused on keeping children safe on the road, in vehicles, and within their neighborhoods.

Launched in 2026 within the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco Emergency Department, the ChiPPS Program prioritizes outreach to communities disproportionately impacted by traffic-related injury and trauma. Through partnerships with schools, community centers, health care systems, and other organizations that serve families, the program aims to improve child passenger safety practices, pedestrian awareness, and access to life-saving resources across the region.

What we do

Our program works closely with established San Francisco injury prevention leaders and community partners, including the YMCA of San Francisco, Wu Yee Children’s Services, Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco, GLIDE, Southeast Community Center, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, and the Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg General Hospital and Trauma Center's (ZSFG's) Trauma Program to expand access to education, outreach events, car seat safety initiatives, and pedestrian safety programming.

The CHiPPS Program is committed to building a stronger culture of injury prevention and community safety, ensuring Bay Area children and families have the knowledge, resources, and support needed to prevent serious injuries before they happen. As part of these efforts, our certified technicians provide free car seat fitting stations once or twice per month, typically from 9:30 a.m. to noon.

View upcoming events

Additional injury prevention education is available upon request, including:

Pedestrian safety
Bicycle safety
Impact Teen Drivers programming

Program leadership

The CHiPPS Program is led by Carol C. Chen, MD, MPH, in collaboration with Rigo Del Toro, MPH, the Trauma Injury Prevention Coordinator for ZSFG's Trauma Program.

Carol C. Chen, MD, MPH

ChiPPS Program Manager

Biography

Dr. Chen leads the ChiPPS Program in partnership with regional trauma and injury prevention leaders. Dr. Chen is a pediatric emergency medicine physician, co-director of the UCSF World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Emergency, Critical and Operative Care, and co-medical director of the pediatric emergency department at ZSFG. She is also a leader in pediatric injury prevention, emergency medicine education, and global health initiatives focused on improving outcomes for ill and injured children.

Dr. Chen earned her medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine and a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is deeply committed to improving emergency and injury care for children both globally and locally through advocacy, medical education, and evidence-based injury prevention initiatives. She is especially passionate about improving emergency and trauma care access for children in underserved and low-resource settings, both internationally and locally.

Locally, Dr. Chen collaborates with health care systems, public health agencies, and community organizations throughout San Francisco to advance evidence-based injury prevention strategies and improve child safety outcomes.

Rigo Del Toro, MPH

ChiPPS Child Injury Prevention Coordinator

Biography

Rigoberto Del Toro is the Trauma Injury Prevention Coordinator for ZSFG's Trauma Program, where he leads community-centered injury prevention initiatives focused on reducing preventable injuries across the lifespan. Rigo previously served as the Child Injury Prevention Coordinator at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland and has extensive experience developing pediatric injury prevention programs, building regional partnerships, and advancing evidence-based safety education throughout the Bay Area.

At ZSFG – one of California’s designated Level I Trauma Centers and San Francisco’s only verified Level I Adult and Pediatric Trauma Center – Rigo collaborates with health care systems, schools, community organizations, and public agencies to strengthen injury prevention outreach, trauma-informed education, and public safety initiatives. His work includes child passenger safety, pedestrian safety, older adult falls prevention, violence prevention, and community trauma outreach.

In his role with the ChiPPS Program, Rigo collaborates with regional partners to improve transportation safety education and expand access to injury prevention resources for vulnerable children and families throughout San Francisco and the greater Bay Area.

Jamie Mamikunian

ChiPPS Child Passenger Safety Technician

Biography

Jamie Mamikunian is as a child passenger safety technician for the CHiPPS Program. As a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician with nearly two decades of experience across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, Jamie helps families navigate child passenger safety, baby gear education, and injury prevention. She has worked extensively with families and organizations throughout the Bay Area to improve access to safe transportation resources and essential child safety services.

Jamie founded the first baby gear deep-cleaning and repair service of its kind and partnered with major manufacturers to become authorized in baby gear maintenance and safety education. She also operated two San Francisco storefronts dedicated to supporting families with child safety education, equipment maintenance, and hands-on support. Throughout her career, Jamie has collaborated with community organizations and public agencies to coordinate the cleaning, inspection, and delivery of baby gear and car seats for families in need across the Bay Area.

Jamie also played an important role in helping launch the San Francisco Car Seat Safety Program through the San Francisco Department of Public Health's Division of Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health.

Two representatives from the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals Child Passenger and Pedestrian Safety Program stand behind an informational table at a community event. The table displays educational materials, brochures, and a prize wheel, with a colorful mural and other attendees visible in the background

Upcoming events

We offer a variety of free programs and events designed to promote child passenger safety and injury prevention, including car seat fittings and checks, child passenger safety workshops, professional training opportunities, and community outreach events. Explore upcoming events and activities below.

Car seat fittings & checks

Our free car seat fittings and checks offer families the opportunity to have their car seats checked by trained staff and receive guidance on proper installation and use.