Winter 2023
Featured Article
- Lessons learned from an Academic-Practice Partnership Fellowship with the HRSA Maternal and Child Health Bureau by Christine Bozlak.
Growing the Pathways for MCH Students to Work in Governmental Public Health
- Title V Student Interns Share their Stories – Experiences in a Title V Agency During the Summer of 2022
- Title V MCH Student Summer Internship Application is Now Open
- AMCHP’s Graduate Student Epidemiology Program (GSEP) 2023 Summer Internship
New Research on Workforce and Developing Pathways for Undergraduate and Graduate Public Health Students
- Two featured articles from the Special Issue of the Maternal and Child Health Journal
Resource and Tools for Practitioners and Academia
- Family Engagement Workbook
- MCH Navigator’s Self-Reflective Learning: Map Your Learning Pathway
News, Abstract Opportunities, Job Opportunities, and More
- PHF Council on Linkages Special Meeting with CDC
- ASPPH Abstract Opportunity with APHA
- Job Boards from UIC, Health Career Connection, USAJobs, and Emory
- Curricula Workshops from Berkley’s Center for Excellence
Featured Article
Lessons learned from an Academic-Practice Partnership Fellowship with the HRSA Maternal and Child Health Bureau
By: Christine Bozlak
During the Fall 2021 academic semester, I completed a part-time sabbatical fellowship focused on academic-practice partnerships (APP) with the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau’s (MCHB) Division of Maternal and Child Health Workforce Development (DMCHWD). The fellowship focused on how to facilitate and encourage connections between MCHB-funded academic training programs and state Title V agencies.
Collaboration and partnership in public health are documented as early as the 1800s when the American Public Health Association partnered with the federal government to develop policies and guidelines to address public health needs, such as sanitation and surveillance (Kroelinger et. al., 2012). Since that time, there have been other efforts to establish academic-practice partnerships, such as “teaching health departments” which existed as early as the 1940s (Kent et. al. 2014), and “academic health departments” since the 1970s (Lee et. al., 2014). Currently, the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) and the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) incentivize schools and programs of public health and public health departments to partner.
Despite the incentives and potential benefits of partnering, there are inherently challenges associated with public health academic-practice partnerships. Smith et al. (2018, p.2) succinctly summarize these challenges as, “the privileging of scientific knowledge over practitioner and community knowledge; differing priorities and reward structures in universities and practice settings; limited community or organizational capacity or resources to adopt and sustain evidence-based interventions; and histories of mis-trust and poor communication between researchers and practitioners.”
For this sabbatical fellowship, I explored APP benefits and challenges, as well as recommendations on how to support these partnerships. I participated in a range of information gathering to inform my findings, including: discussions between DMCHWD and the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs staff; a literature review/scan; semi-structured interviews with seven Title V leaders from across the U.S.; a brief, guided group discussion with HRSA-funded Centers of Excellence in MCH Education, Science, and Practice and MCH Public Health Catalyst Program directors; and reflection from personal experience with an academic-practice partnership in New York.
MCH academic programs are already partnering with Title V in several ways, including, but not limited to: Title V grant needs assessment; collaboration on conferences; research projects; technical assistance on specific topics and sharing evidence-based practices; report writing/publications; workforce training for staff and students; and website assistance. |
This project highlighted the mutual value academic partners can bring to Title V programs. Academic institutions can: provide “critical and valuable” expertise and resources to Title V programs; help Title V programs “access the evidence”; extend the outreach by the State to other parts of the state; and help build the MCH workforce. Similarly, Title V programs are able to help academic partners: expose students to careers in governmental public health; stay informed of the population’s needs, which helps focus teaching and research; allow for the direct impact of MCH policy, programming, and service delivery; and the opportunity to contribute to training a skilled workforce.
While Title V and academic partners acknowledged challenges to creating and sustaining APPs, there were many more opportunities and recommendations for the future that were discussed. Figure 1. summarizes key recommendations on how to support MCH academic-practice partnerships. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lauren Ramos and Michelle Tissue from the MCHB Division of MCH Workforce Development for providing mentorship during my sabbatical fellowship.
Figure 1: Recommendations on how to create or support MCH academic-practice partnerships (APPs)
Review case studies and talk with existing APP on how they created and sustained their partnership. |
Talk with funders about opportunities within existing grants to collaborate with an academic or practice partner. |
During the partnership, be respectful, transparent, and accepting of each other’s limitations. |
Educate students about Title V, including the Title V Information System (TVIS), and encourage internships within Title V programs. |
Consider adding an APP element to your organization’s existing website. |
Dedicate at least one organizational event or activity per year to a topic that helps support the growth of APPs. |
Advocate to decision-makers for opportunities to support MCH APPs within existing systems. |
If you have an existing MCH APP, consider educating others on the lessons learned and best practices through journal articles, conferences, and other dissemination opportunities, and even consider mentoring an emerging academic-practice partnership. |
About the author: Christine Bozlak, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor, Health Policy, Management, and Behavior, and Co-director, Maternal and Child Health Program, University at Albany School of Public Health.I welcome questions about this work. Feel free to reach out by email.
Growing the Pathways for MCH Students to Work in Governmental Public Health
In this section…
- Title V Student Interns Share their Stories – Experiences in a Title V Agency During the Summer of 2022
- MCH Title V Summer Internship Summer 2023 Internship Application is Now Open
- AMCHP’s Graduate Student Epidemiology Program (GSEP) 2023 Summer Internship
Title V Student Interns Share their Stories – Experiences in a Title V Agency During the Summer of 2022
Congratulations to Lorena Melendez-Chavez (left) and Sarah Dilday (right), MPH students in the Dornsife Maternal and Child Health Program at Drexel University. Lorena and Sarah were awarded paid internships with Title V MCH agencies at the Vermont Department of Health and the Florida Department of Health’s, respectfully. To learn more about their experiences and amazing work last summer, read the original article from the Dornsife Student and Alumni Stories blog.
Congratulations to Pooja Deshpande (left), a MPH student in the Maternal, Child, and Family Health Department at the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Global Public Health and Ashley Zuniga (right), an undergraduate student at East Carolina University on the publication of their Title V MCH Summer Internship work with the Virginia Department of Health. Read about their work centering family voices in a multi-dimensional examination of family engagement (originally published in AMCHP’s Pulse Newsletter, December 2022)
Title V MCH Summer 2023 Internship Application is Now Open
The Title V MCH Internship Program is excited to share that the Student Application is available on the National MCH Workforce Development Center’s website as of January 4, 2023, and will be open until February 3, 2023.
The aim of the paid Title V MCH Internship Program is to provide future MCH professionals with experience working in state and jurisdictional Title V agencies, with mentorship and guidance from Title V agency preceptors. Students from any of the following training programs are eligible to apply:
- Centers of Excellence in MCH Education, Science, and Practice (CoE)
- MCH Public Health Catalyst Program (Catalyst)
- Maternal and Child Health Leadership, Education, and Advancement in Undergraduate Pathways (LEAP)
Students can review the twelve proposed projects in our Title V Agency Project Booklet. They include projects like:
- Revising the Racial Equity Data Road Map through key informant interviews for Massachusetts Department of Public Health;
- Creating a training Toolkit for community health workers who support grandparents raising grandchildren for Oklahoma State Department of Health;
- Conduct focus groups to identify how Title X family planning services can better engage men for Tennessee Department of Health;
- Review and develop an implementation plan for engaging the faith-based community on maternal health issues for Utah Department of Health and Human Services; and
- Analyze Title V data focused on social connectedness to develop a one-page summary or infographics for Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
If you have any questions about the internship or the application process, please reach out to us at TitleVMCHInternship@uic.edu.
AMCHP’s Graduate Student Epidemiology Program (GSEP) 2023 Summer Internship
Now Accepting Applications for Graduate Student Epidemiology Program (GSEP) Student Internship Program and Host Sites!
The Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) is now accepting both graduate student internship applications and site host applications for the Summer 2023 Graduate Student Epidemiology Program (GSEP). Applications for both graduate student interns and host sites are being accepted from January 12, 2023, until February 22, 2023, at 11:59pm EST.
This Maternal and Child Health (MCH) internship program is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and administered by AMCHP. Click here to learn more about GSEP, including host site requirements and graduate student eligibility, expectations, and benefits.
A few notable highlights of this competitively paid, 10-week, 100% remote graduate student summer internships to develop leaders in MCH epidemiology:
Student Intern Highlights (click here to apply) Explore projects and diverse career pathways in MCH Epidemiology. Work with state and local public health agencies without relocating and receive thoughtful mentorship from practicing, applied epidemiologists. Optional, in-person site visits with costs covered. Learn practical skills and expand professional networks in ways that will give interns an advantage as they enter the MCH Epidemiology workforce. | Host Site Highlights (click here to apply) No associated costs for host sites; AMCHP covers all intern stipends and site visit expenses. AMCHP handles intern recruitment and supports host sites throughout the summer. Interns can focus their efforts on agency/organization priorities. Staff can gain meaningful mentorship experience. |
The website also contains information about the application (including previews) and recordings of informational webinars for both graduate students and host sites.
For More Information
- Host Site Information and Application: Please contact Candice Simon(csimon@amchp.org) with any questions.
- Student Internship Experience and Application: Please contact Mikayla Frye (mfrye@amchip.org) with any questions.
Research and Best Practice
New Research on Workforce and Developing Pathways for Undergraduate and Graduate Public Health Students
In this section…
The Maternal and Child Health Journal. Special Issue 1, August 2022 Developing and Strengthening the Current and Future MCH Public Health Workforce: Building Capacity, Aligning Systems and Addressing Emerging Challenges
- An Overview of an Undergraduate Diversity MCH Pipeline Training Program: USF’s Train-A-Bull
- The Development of a Team-Based, Hybrid Inter-university Graduate Certificate Program Focused on Maternal Child Health Professionals.
An Overview of an Undergraduate Diversity MCH Pipeline Training Program: USF’s Train-A-Bull Torrens Armstrong, C.A. Noble, J. Azeredo, E. Daley, R.E. Wilson & C. Vamos. Maternal and Child Health Journal. 26, 26-36 (2022)
The University of South Florida (USF) housed an undergraduate MCH Pipeline training program (PTP) that supported underrepresented minorities trainees in becoming MCH-professions. With the hopes of increasing the diversity of the MCH workforce. “Trainees were mentored, trained, guided, and supported by program faculty/staff.” The students represented diverse racial/ethnic populations, the majority were first generation and accepted federal financial aid. The PTP used the Stages of Educational Discovery model (Decider, Explorer, Maximer, and Mover) (Arnold et al. 2015) to implement an innovative and high quality training program for students. The program consisted of public health courses and training, a summer institute, mentorship, an internship, and professional networking.
The Development of a Team-Based, Hybrid Inter-university Graduate Certificate Program Focused on Maternal Child Health Professionals. K. Tolletrup, T. Thomas, N. Stone, S. Chambers, P. Sedillo, F. Perry & S. Foster-Cox. Maternal and Child Health Journal. 26, 3-9 (2022)
In New Mexico, a “resource-poor area” and one of the country’s largest states, there was a need to develop and provide access to maternal and child health (MCH) education for public health professionals. Over a four year period, the New Mexico MCH Public Health Training Institute developed and implemented a hybrid MCH certificate program for public health professionals. Students received funding that supported their tuition, materials and travel; whereas otherwise it may not have been possible for them to participate. “This model was successful at delivering public health graduate education to MCH practitioners and increasing their knowledge and skills.”
Resources and Tools
In this section…
- Family Engagement Workbook
- MCH Navigator’s Self-Reflective Learning: Map Your Learning Pathway
This workbook was developed as a resource for the Title V teams to engage with the people they serve. It was written by Becky Burns, reviewed and edited by the members of the Engagement and Equity Core of the National MCH Workforce Development Center as well as many other professionals throughout Title V who volunteered their time and expertise as editors. Get the workbook (PDF)
MCH Navigator’s Self-Reflective Learning: Map Your Learning Pathway
If you aren’t sure where to begin learning, or you’d like to use a structured approach that ties training to personal and organizational goals, start by assessing your knowledge of and skills in addressing the MCH Leadership Competencies. This self-assessment is an excellent resource for students, practitioners, and leaders of Title V MCH. For more information on getting started, click here.
News, Abstract Opportunities, Job Opportunities, & More
In this section…
Public Health Foundation’s Council on Linkages
Join the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice for a special meeting on January 24, 2023, from 2-3pm EST to hear from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and national partners about initial plans related to CDC’s newly awarded public health infrastructure grants to state, local, and territorial jurisdictions. Visit the meeting webpage to learn more. For more information about the PHF and the Council of Linkages, contact kamos@phf.org
Call for Abstracts for APHA 2023 is Open—submit to the Academic-Practice Linkages in Public Health (APLPH) Caucus!
Session topics for the 2023 APLPH Caucus include:
- Academic-Practice Linkages to Move the Needle on the Social Determinants of Health
- Academic-Practice Linkages to Protect People Burdened with the Effects of Discrimination, Oppression, and Poor Health
- Academic-Practice Linkages to Improve Community Engagement Through Non-Traditional Partnerships
- Academic-Practice Linkages to Support the Development of Public Health Leaders
- Measuring the Impact of Academic-Practice Linkages in Public Health
- Academic-Practice Linkages for Innovation in Public Health Data Storytelling
- Academic-Practice Linkages: Leveraging Academic Health Departments to Strengthen Public Health Infrastructure
- Academic-Practice Linkages: Addressing Public Health Workforce Training Needs
Please encourage your faculty and colleagues to submit an abstract to the APLPH Caucus by visiting https://apha.confex.com/apha/2023/aphc.htm. Abstracts are due by March 31, 2023.
The APLPH Caucus is proudly sponsored by ASPPH, in partnership with the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). APHA 2023 will be held November 12-15 in Atlanta, GA. We look forward to seeing you there!
For questions related to the APLPH Caucus, please contact Kaitlin Tager, Manager of Workforce Initiatives, at ktager@aspph.org.
Looking for Employment?
Check out MCH Job Board at the University of Illinois. If you are interested in posting an opportunity on the MCH Job Board, please email your posting to coemch@uic.edu.
Check out the opportunity for a paid internship with HRSA: HRSA Pathways Internship Opportunity. Visit USAJobs for more opportunties to work with HRSA, including the Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
Health Career Connection. A resource for students looking for governmental public health jobs.
Emory Rollins School of Public Health. Check out the Emory Rollins School of Public Health’s CoE has a great MCH Job Board.
Maternal and Child Health Community Engaged Learning Lab (MCH CELL) for Instructional Development Workshop Series*
Do you teach an existing public health course that involves students working with community partners as clients? Do you want to start a new course like this? Are you looking for an interactive and welcoming co-learning space with other instructors who either teach or want to teach public health courses like this? Then the Maternal and Child Health Community Engaged Learning Lab (MCH CELL) for Instructional Development is for you!
This brand new workshop series is open to all public health instructors and will launch Monday, March 20th from 8:00-10:00 AM (PT) with a focus on Community Health Assessment courses that utilize community partners as clients. If you have questions about creating, facilitating, and sustaining courses like these or you have an interest in being part of an instructor community that seeks to develop and share best practices when integrating community partners meaningfully into their classes, then this space is for you. Please sign up here to be notified when registration for the first workshop opens.
Future workshops will cover course topics like: needs assessment, evaluation, and leadership. For any questions please contact Jessica Ross at jessica_ross@berkeley.edu
This is a collaborative from the following CoEs and Catalyst Programs: COE and Catalyst Programs: UC Berkeley, Boston University, Tulane University, University of Albany, and Drexel University.
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