This newsletter comes from the National MCH Workforce Development Center. As leaders in Title V MCH, state and local public health, and academia, this newsletter is a great way to learn about best practice, collaborations and share your expertise. This newsletter will be sent out three times a year. To share this newsletter with your colleagues, click here. To subscribe, click here.
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The National Maternal and Child Health Workforce Development Center (Center) is pleased to share the inaugural Academic-Practice Partnership Newsletter with you.
The Center, started in 2014, helps state and territorial Title V maternal and child health (MCH) leaders and their partners tackle complex challenges through workforce development and training, collaborative learning, coaching, and consultation. The Center does this by engaging with key academic, policy, and public health practice partners.
Collaborative partnerships between academia and public health practice are critical to address the multi-factorial complex public health challenges we face today. Developing and supporting opportunities for academia and public health practice to work together, each using their expertise, can allow these relationships to be mutually beneficial.
The Academic-Practice Partnership Newsletter (APP-Newsletter) will highlight new and existing partnerships between academia, experts as well as relevant literature, resources and tools. We also want to learn from you. Share examples of your academic and MCH/Title V collaborations, projects, etc. with us by emailing derosset@email.unc.edu.
In this first issue, you will meet the Center’s first Title V Academic Fellow from Drexel University, learn how 32 undergraduate and graduate students from across the United States spent their summer working for 14 different state Title V agencies and learn about the latest open-access peer reviewed literature from a special issue of the Maternal and Child Health Journal, entitled Developing and Strengthening the Current and Future MCH Public Health Workforce: Building capacity, aligning systems and addressing emerging challenges. the articles focus on the efforts to develop the MCH workforce undertaken by leaders in the field.”
We hope this newsletter provides you with a wealth of information about academic-practice partnerships within MCH and Title V. We encourage you to share this newsletter with your colleagues and partners. Thank you for taking the time to learn with us as we work collaboratively to build a MCH workforce for the 21st century.
Leslie deRosset
Academic Practice Coordinator
We would love to learn from you and your experiences with academic-practice partnerships. Send an email at derosset@email.unc.edu to share your experience.
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Research and Best Practice
Maternal and Child Health Journal Publishes Special Issue on Workforce Development
A special issue of the Maternal and Child Health Journal, entitled Developing and Strengthening the Current and Future MCH Public Health Workforce: Building capacity, aligning systems and addressing emerging challenges focus on the efforts to develop the MCH workforce undertaken by the HRSA MCHB grantees, including the work of the National MCH Workforce Development Center, as well as other organizations and agencies such as state Title V agencies, the Maternal Health Learning & Innovation Center, and universities from across the United States. Authors explore the impact of workforce development training on state Title V agencies, the placement of interns in state agencies focused on MCH work, and the need for an increased focus on equity as critical element of public health.
Here are a selection of articles from the special issue:
MCH Pipeline Training Program: Connecting with Academia to Build Capacity Through Mentoring by Belcher HME, Copeland-Linder N, Stone J, Waters CR , et al.
Recruiting and retaining a diverse MCH workforce is critical to addressing public health today. Mentorship programs that align with the culture and value of students in undergraduate programs are key to supporting students moving from undergraduate education programs to graduate level programs.
The MCH Pipeline Training program at the Kennedy Krieger Institute implemented the evidence-based mentorship program. Researchers found that it is “imperative that “…mentors need to prepare to engage in brave discussions about discrimination, bias, inclusivity, institutional barriers, imposter syndrome, and stereotype threats.” Read more
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Tools for Supporting the MCH Workforce in Addressing Complex Challenges: A Scoping Review of System Dynamics Modeling in Maternal and Child Health by Guynn I, Simon J, Anderson S, Klaman SL, Mullenix A, Cilenti D, & Hassmiller Lich, K.
The MCH workforce deals with multi-factorial challenges that are both dynamic and complex. Challenges such as COVID-19, limited resources (human and financial), issues of inequities are only some of the challenges the MCH workforce faces daily. This systematic review followed the PRISMA guidelines to better understand how system dynamics was applied to MCH topics. The findings of this review will provide the MCH workforce increased skills and knowledge to use systems dynamics. Read more
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Building the MCH Public Health Workforce of the Future: A Call to Action from the MCHB Strategic Plan by Ramos LR, Tissue MM, Johnson A, Kavanagh L, & Warren M.
HRSA MCHB released a new strategic plan in 2021 to guide the work over the next 10 – 15 years. Goal 3 (Strengthen Public Health Capacity and Workforce for MCH) supports the future of the MCH workforce with 13 recommendations. Recommendations discuss the trajectories for MCH public health careers, high-quality training, how to build the MCH workforce capacity and skills to address inequities and the SDOH. Other recommendations seek to address building a diverse workforce, increase community engagement, and include people with lived experiences in our work.
“The release of the MCHB strategic plan comes at a time of critical need to build and sustain a MCH PH workforce to achieve equity for MCH populations. We encourage the field to engage in dialogue around the recommendations presented in this paper, and to offer additional actions to build and support the MCH PH workforce.“p.6 Read more
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Health Impact Assessment: A Missed Opportunity for MCH Professionals in Their Quest to Address the Social Determinants of Health by Dills JE, Lawson TM, & Branscombe J.
This review of health impact assessments (HIAs) examined multiple dimensions of the HIAs to better understand the alignment of MCH populations and important measures and outcomes.This commentary compliments the article: A Call to Transform Maternal and Child Health Mentorship to Build Inclusivity, Honor Diversity of Experiences, and Tackle the Root of Health Disparities but dives deeper into an examination of which NPMs were examined within the MCH-HIAs.
“This exploratory review indicates limited involvement of MCH-focused practitioners in HIA practice to date. The results reveal that despite this lack of engagement, a large portion of HIA practice considers populations and measures with clear relevance to MCH. When the MCH workforce is involved, HIAs are significantly more likely to include specific MCH content. Therefore, intentional alignment of MCH and HIA practice, along with capacity building to support use of HIA by MCH stakeholders, would potentially reinforce strategies seeking to inform decisions made in other sectors.”p.14 Read more
The Public Health Foundation’s Council on Linkages Promotes Engagement between Academia and Public Health Practice
The Public Health Foundation’s Council on Linkages (Council) promotes engagement between academia and public health practice. The Council is a collaborative of 24 national organizations focused on improving public health education and training, practice, and research. They engage in workforce development initiatives that help support and strengthen the public health workforce. Members include APHA, AACN, ACPM, ASPPH, ASTHO, NACCHO, and PHAB among others.
Within the area of public health workforce development, the Council has engaged in a number of initiatives. One example is their Academic Health Department (AHD) Learning Community, a national peer learning community designed to support public health professionals and organizations in developing and sustaining AHD partnerships – formal partnerships between health departments and academic institutions.
This community provides an opportunity for people to explore the idea of AHD partnerships and connect with others who are engaged in this work, as well as tools, resources, training, and technical assistance to organizations working to establish and grow AHD partnerships. The AHD Learning Community is open to all who are interested, and more than 1,200 practitioners, educators, and researchers are currently members. To learn more, please visit their website.
For more information and to learn more about the Public Health Foundation and the Council on Linkages visit their website.
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Our New Academic Partner
Dr. Nora Lee Joins the National MCH Workforce Development Center as the First Title V Academic Fellow
Nora Lee, PhD, an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, at the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University has been selected as the first Title V Academic Fellow with the National MCH Workforce Development Center (Center).
The Title V Academic Fellowship’s goal is to strengthen a faculty member’s knowledge of and interactions with Title V MCH agencies; develop a mutually beneficial evaluation, implementation or research project with a Title V MCH agency; increase engagement with the Center; and develop new partnerships between academia and Title V MCH agencies.
As a perinatal epidemiology researcher, Dr. Lee wants to expand her knowledge and experience in qualitative research and strategies to better understand the root causes of inequities in perinatal/infant health, specifically in the areas of the Black-hite disparities in infant mortality.
Dr. Lee received her PhD from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and her undergraduate degree from the University of California at Davis. She works with the Philly PRAMS Steering Committee, has been a member of the Philly Department of Health’s MMRT, and works with students in the , funded by HRSA MCHB.
In conjunction with the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA-DOH), Dr. Lee will work with the Title V team to develop a collaborative project focused on infant safe sleep. This yearlong Fellowship will provide opportunities for academia (Dr. Lee and Drexel University) and Title V (PA-DOH) to work together to build relationships; learn more about the Title V and MCH work at a practice level; and produce a product that is co-designed and mutually beneficial to both Drexel University and the PA- DOH.
“We are thrilled Dr. Lee was selected for the inaugural National MCH Workforce Development Center’s Title V Academic Fellowship. Dr. Lee is an integral member of the MCH Program and faculty at Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health and we believe this fellowship will be a great learning and professional experience. The Fellowship will provide opportunities for Dr. Lee to expand her research and collaborate on the important work of PA Title V programs, as well as share her expertise in epidemiology to help build workforce capacity. We are looking forward to Dr. Lee sharing her experience with our Drexel MCH Program trainees and faculty as we continue to enhance their understanding of Title V programming and the MCH public health workforce needs,” stated Renee Turchi, MD, MPH, FAAS, MCH Program Director at Drexel University Dornslife School of Public Health.
In addition to the time spent on the safe sleep project, Dr. Lee will work with the Center to grow her knowledge, skills, and experience in the areas of Title V MCH, as well as the broader public health areas including workforce development and leadership, systems integration, and evidence-based decision making, all with an equity lens.
“We are so excited to have Nora join the Workforce Development Center and begin her work with the Pennsylvania Department of Public Health. We look forward to an exciting year of learning and collaborating,” said Leslie deRosset, the Academic Practice Program Coordinator at the Center.
Students and Internships
Congratulations to the 2022 Title V MCH Summer Internship Cohort
The Title V MCH Internship Program placed 32 undergraduate and graduate students in state Title V agencies as part of the 2022 Title V MCH Summer Internship program. Undergraduate and graduate students worked at 14 state agencies on 16 projects, including developing literature reviews on respectful care during pregnancy and the postpartum period, creating a report on Social Determinants of Health impacting Children and Youth with Special Health Needs, collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, interviewing subject matter experts in MCH emergency preparedness and more! We are also quite pleased that five state agencies were first-time hosts to the Title V MCH interns (Arkansas, California, Connecticut, South Dakota, and Virginia).
Student interns come from one of the MCH Training programs, funded by the HRSA MCHB.
Internships last 8 to 10 weeks and include up to 10 educational and training workshops with staff from the National MCH Workforce Development Center (Center). This summer, student interns participated in two jointly hosted sessions with the Graduate Student Epidemiology Program (GSEP) led by AMCHP. Additionally, all student interns participate in biweekly group coaching with UIC’s leadership coach, Dr. Janine Hill, to process their experience and discuss how they are navigating their project. Over the summer, students increase their knowledge and skills in MCH public health and Title V, enhance their leadership skills and grow their confidence in applying the principles of the MCH competencies.
Culminating the internship experience, student teams develop and execute a live, 10-minute video presentation on their projects with their Preceptors.
Watch the Student Presentations
Coming Soon! The 2023 State Application for Title V MCH agencies will be released in early 2023. This is a great opportunity for state Title V MCH agencies to develop a project and apply for an intern from one of the HRSA MCHB Training Programs.
Student information on the 2023 Summer Internship will be out in mid to late February 2023. More information will be available on the website and in this newsletter.
For more information on the Title V MCH Internship and how to apply as a state Title V MCH agency, reach out to us at titlevmchinternship@uic.edu or review the website.
MCH Resources
UIC Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Launches MCH Job Board
The MCH Job Board at the University of Illinois Chicago’s Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Education, Science and Practice (CoE) serves as a resource for current and former MCH students across the nation, as well as others looking to post or apply for maternal and child health job opportunities and postdoctoral fellowships.
UIC will still be promoting some jobs on the UIC-SPH MCH Listserv, if it receives postings with quick application deadlines, but the MCH Job Board will be the main location for new positions. Subscribers will still receive information about UIC MCH events and opportunities on the UIC-SPH MCH Listserv.
If you are interested in posting an opportunity on the MCH Job Board, please email your posting to coemch@uic.edu. When possible, please include a link to the application, as well as, the deadline to apply.
Learn More About the Title V MCH Block Grant
HRSA MCHB recently released a short, 7 ½ minute video sharing the history, purpose, and administration of the Title V MCH Block Grant
The MCH Navigator’s MCH Academic Legacy Project
Would you like to learn more about the unique paths and trajectories of MCH public health leaders and their work with Title V? Visit the MCH Academic Legacy Project to learn more. This is a great resource for student, faculty, Title V MCH professionals.
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