Centers of Excellence in MCH Education, Science and Practice Program - Drexel University Center of Excellence in Maternal, Child, Adolescent, and Family Health Problem: Although maternal and child health (MCH) is one of the broadest areas in public health and critical to the health of communities, MCH outcomes nationally and locally are poor and often lag behind other developed countries. Concurrently, numbers of public health professionals trained in MCH are low and the MCH workforce is shrinking due to retirements and attrition. MCH public health workers are not able to keep up with population needs. The purpose of the Drexel Center of Excellence in Maternal, Child, Adolescent, and Family Health is to expand and strengthen MCH workforce through public health graduate training, research, practice, and partnerships. Population Served: Graduate students (masters/doctoral), existing MCH public health workforce, including state and city Title V programs and MCH community partners. Goals and Objectives Goal 1: Recruit and train students using a comprehensive graduate-level MCH public health curriculum by 1. add MCH courses to MCH minor/certificate; 2. include multiple perspectives and evidence; 3. infuse MCH content into existing public health courses; 4. enroll graduate students (masters/doctoral) into program. Goal 2: Offer MCH professional development and leadership training through 1. webinars and symposia; 2. leadership workshops; 3. leadership opportunities for students and trainees. Goal 3: Provide research, practice, and mentoring opportunities through 1. MCH student internships; 2. collaborative student/partner MCH workforce development projects; 3. doctoral MCH research; 4. collaborative products (faculty/students/partners); 5. career mentoring events; 6. mentorship. Goal 4: Increase the capacity of MCH government and community-based organizations through 1. technical assistance activities; 2. Student engagement in technical assistance projects. Goal 5: Increase engagement and experiences within curriculum and program events by 1. maintaining partnerships with partnerships with MCH government and community-based organizations, community-based MCH workers, and lived experience experts (LEEs); 2. creating new partnerships; 3. including LEEs in courses, events, research, and dissemination efforts. Goal 6: Establish program sustainability by 1. increase MCH Certificate enrollment/MCH Minor enrollment, 2. Increase collaborative products; 3. apply for externally funded MCH projects. Methodology: 1) develop/enhance courses, 2) recruit/train/support diverse student cohort, 3) Speaker Series/Symposia, 4) Leadership activities, 5) Career Events, 6) collaboration & research/ practical experiences with multidisciplinary partners, 7) Mentorship, 8) Support doctoral student research, 9) collaborative products, 10) provide TA, 11) maintain MCH certificate/minor. Coordination: Program at Drexel SPH & UHC, w/ College of Nursing/Health Prof., Med. School, Lactation Prog., DU Online (Certificate) Partners: local/state govt (PA DOH Title V, PDPH/MCFH, Medicaid), MCH orgs. (March of Dimes, CHOP PolicyLab, MCC, St. Chris, Family Voices, PA PEAL F2F, PA AAP), HRSA training programs (CHOP LEND, HRSA CoEs (e.g. Hopkins), HRSA Catalyst Programs). Evaluation: Track and report activities to assess success in meeting objectives. Descriptive statistics of participating students, faculty, professionals. Surveys to assess student/faculty interests, curricular gaps, satisfaction/experience, and MCH trainee’s placement post-graduation.
