This August, 12 students successfully wrapped up their internship placements with the Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Internship Program! The program provides students with a unique opportunity to work together in pairs. Each pair of two interns completes a 10-week project that advances the priorities of a different state Title V program.
This was the 13th consecutive year that the National MCH Workforce Development Center has been proud to offer this internship program. With the completion of this summer’s program, the Center has now supported 252 students to complete projects in 42 states and jurisdictions.
This year’s projects focused on a range of initiatives that will contribute to improving health for women, children, and families. Topics included improving emergency preparedness efforts for MCH families, supporting families facing perinatal loss, integrating research on childhood experiences into Title V programs, improving Title V grantee capacity, and improving community outreach and education efforts.
To support their work and development as MCH professionals, the students participated in group mentorship sessions and received individual mentorship from their preceptors at Title V agencies. They also participated in virtual information and skill-building sessions with Center experts, in which they learned about the history of the Title V MCH Services Block Grant and developed or enhanced their skills in change management, adaptive leadership, systems integration, evidence-based decision making, and engagement with communities and families.
“The Title V MCH Internship Program offers students applied learning experiences in governmental maternal and child health programs across the country,” said Dorothy Cilenti, DrPh, MPH, MSW, Director of the National MCH Workforce Development Center. “This year, as in previous years, both students and preceptors shared enthusiasm and gratitude for the opportunity to have students work on significant public health challenges alongside public health professionals. With the backbone support from the Center, the students and preceptors were able to focus on the really important tasks of learning, mentoring and advancing MCH priorities.”
2026 Internship Projects
Indiana Department of Health
Interns: Aimee Hagins, BS (MPH candidate at the University of Illinois Chicago) and Nya Freeney, BA (MPH candidate at Emory University)
Aimee and Nya supported Indiana’s maternal and child health efforts by developing a technical assistance toolkit for Title V grantees. The toolkit is informed by grantee interviews, data from grantee quarterly reports, and evidence-based research. It includes implementation guidance, evaluation resources, and continuous quality improvement tools to help grantees strengthen program planning, implementation, and evaluation.
Massachusetts Department of Health
Interns: Luce Jean Baptiste, BS (MPH candidate at the University of South Florida) and Anna Phan (BS candidate at the University of South Carolina)
Luce and Anna contributed to Massachusetts’ efforts to improve bereavement care related to stillbirth and infant loss. Their work included developing a data brief for birthing facilities and hospitals, evaluating the state’s pregnancy loss website, presenting recommendations to a state consortium of perinatal nurse leaders, and starting to develop guidelines for how healthcare facilities can communicate diagnoses of perinatal loss.
Maryland Department of Health
Interns: Audrey Helmreich, BA (MPH candidate at University of Michigan) and Sofia Londono del Rio (BS and MPH candidate at The George Washington University)
Sofia and Audrey worked on a range of projects to support Maryland families. Audrey collected data for a Title V funding formula, interviewed local health departments for a perinatal mental health landscape analysis, and helped create an AI sickle cell educational tool. Sofia led and organized a team dedicated to developing a youth advisory board and created WIC nutrition trainings for both staff and participants.
New Jersey Department of Health
Interns: Stella Agolli, BS (MPH and MBA candidate at Montclair State University) and Zoe Tew, MEd (MPH candidate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Zoe and Stella worked on the beginning phases of a qualitative research project that will explore how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and positive childhood experiences (PCEs) research can be integrated into New Jersey Title V programming. They completed a literature review connecting this research to Title V domains, developed an IRB protocol, and began having community conversations with relevant stakeholders.
Oklahoma State Department of Health
Interns: Allison Barham, BS (MPH candidate at the University of Pittsburgh) and Stacey Johnson, BA (MPH candidate at the University of Pittsburgh)
Alli and Stacey helped to identify gaps in Oklahoma’s emergency planning and preparedness. They conducted an environmental scan to understand what information and resources are available to specifically support mothers, children, and families. To fill identified gaps, they created a variety of educational materials, such as info sheets about breastfeeding during natural disasters and how to create a sensory friendly safe room.
Utah Department of Health and Human Services
Interns: Crystal Finzer, BS (MPH candidate at the University of Pittsburgh) and Charlotte Stow, BA (MPH candidate at the University of Minnesota)
Charlotte and Crystal supported MCH populations in Utah through a variety of outreach and education-related projects. They developed a toolkit, informed by people with lived experience in MCH, for caregivers of children with incarcerated parents; connected with local libraries to distribute maternal health resources to the community; and produced informational presentations and materials to update staff on current MCH topics.