Funded Projects

Problem:

There have been improvements in the health status of the MCH population, but new threats have emerged & disparities in health outcomes remain. The MCH workforce must have the knowledge & skills to effectively address challenges and pursue new opportunities to improve the health of this population.

Goals and Objectives:

Goal 1: Provide graduate MCH training, which fosters interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving, supports the use of evidence-based decision-making, & provides skills to translate data into action. Objective 1: In each project year, 100% of MPH and PhD students will participate in high quality curricula that support the achievement of the ATMCH and MCH Leadership competencies. Goal 2: Support the development of MCH leaders who understand their leadership strengths, & who are committed to working with a variety of partners & diverse communities. Objective 1: In each project year, at least 85% of Master's graduates will be in middle-level leadership positions in MCH practice, and at least 85% of PhD graduates will obtain advanced leadership positions in MCH academe or practice, within 5 years of graduation.

Methodology:

Implement skills-based MPH and PhD curricula that focus on the MCH life course and prepare students to design, implement and evaluate scientifically-based, family-centered, culturally competent interventions; 2) Develop a distance based MCH MPH; 3) Provide Leadership coaching to students and Title V staff and related partners;.4) Sponsor annual National MCH Leadership Retreat to build personal leadership capacity aimed at paradigm change; 5) Offer a variety of CE and TA activities to meet the needs of diverse partners and communities; 6) Engage in and disseminate cutting-edge scholarly research.

Coordination:

Staff and/or faculty from Illinois' public health agencies (IDHS, IDPH, IDSSC, CDPH, CCDPH), multiple additional Title V agencies in other Region V & VII states, LEND, LEAH and PPC projects in Regions V and VII, and a variety of not-for-profit organizations and community-based organizations serve as research collaborators, preceptors for student practica, guest & adjunct faculty, and members of our MCHP Advisory Committee and our National MCH Leadership Retreat Planning Committee.

Evaluation:

Continuous program monitoring is used to document adherence to planned activities. Based on these process data, the outcome evaluation examines annual and long-term progress toward achievement of the project objectives, including placement of graduates in leadership positions.

Experience to Date:

Through students' practica, field experiences, and master's papers/dissertations, students directly contribute to improving the health of the MCH population. MCHP students also established a MCH Planning Committee through which they organize a community service project and various other events throughout the year. Recent graduates continue to provide a student capacity-building program for MPH MCH students. The MCH Program hosted the fourth Annual MCH Leadership Retreat in July 2011. We also collaborated with various departments, centers, and community-based organizations in the delivery of the MCH Seninars and we're using Blackboard Collaborate to make courses available to students who are not physically on campus. The MCHP also manages two listservs: the MCH@UIC listserv (300+ participants) and the MCHConference listserv (100+ participants). Finally, the MCHP faculty/students were involved in research to improve MCH and disseminated this to diverse audiences and in a variety of settings including research meetings, conferences, seminars, and workshops.