MCH Leadership, Education, and Advancement in Undergraduate Pathways Program - The Indiana University Maternal and Child Health Program, housed within the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, proposes SPARK-MCH: Student Pathways for Applied Research and Knowledge Translation in Maternal and Child Health. SPARK-MCH will develop an undergraduate pathway that prepares interdisciplinary students for graduate education and careers in MCH public health, research, healthcare, policy, and community-based practice. The program will conduct broad outreach to students across MCH-relevant fields, including students from rural or medically underserved areas, first-generation college students, students from low-income backgrounds, and students interested in serving MCH populations. Indiana urgently needs to strengthen its MCH workforce. Families across the state face maternal and infant health challenges, including adverse birth outcomes, maternal morbidity and mortality, infant mortality, limited access to obstetric and women’s health services, and gaps in access to high-quality care. These challenges are especially pronounced in rural and medically underserved communities, where access to maternity care, public health infrastructure, and workforce capacity may be limited. Addressing these needs requires an interdisciplinary, practice-ready workforce trained in MCH systems, research, leadership, engagement, and intervention development. SPARK-MCH builds on demonstrated capacity at Indiana University (IU). The Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Program has established a solid foundation in MCH curriculum and mentorship. Previous HRSA initiatives through the Catalyst Program and IU have strengthened the MCH curriculum. While the Catalyst Program focuses on graduate education, IU has not yet secured the MCH LEAP grant, despite growing undergraduate interest in MCH. Highlighting this gap could encourage more support and opportunities for passionate undergraduate students. The Layered Learning IU Program has demonstrated the effectiveness of undergraduate mentorship. The SPARK-MCH initiative will provide training for undergraduates in MCH coursework. Develop a research-to-intervention pathway that emphasizes skill-based and experiential learning, as well as knowledge translation. This approach aims to equip the next generation of undergraduate students with advanced research skills while providing intervention materials for immediate benefit to the state of Indiana. In doing so, it will address the "Leadership" and "Advancement" requirements of the LEAP grant. SPARK-MCH will recruit, train, retain, and support at least 30 interdisciplinary undergraduate trainees annually, including at least 10 medium-term trainees. Key activities will include didactic MCH training through coursework and seminars; mentorship; mentored qualitative and quantitative research experiences; and community-based internships and experiential learning with MCH-serving organizations. A distinctive feature of SPARK-MCH is its focus on applied research and knowledge translation. Trainees will analyze MCH data, interpret findings, and translate evidence into products that support intervention development, public health communication, program improvement, and community education. Products may include briefs, infographics, educational materials, provider tools, resource guides, dashboards, presentations, and dissemination products. By the end of the project period, SPARK-MCH will create a sustainable undergraduate-to-MCH workforce pathway, strengthen student readiness for MCH careers, expand academic-practice partnerships, and strengthen the pathway for training future MCH professionals, researchers, and public health leaders.
