Centers of Excellence in MCH Education, Science and Practice Program - Need: Complex, systems-level challenges and inequities require innovative solutions, robust skills, and leadership. Research must be translated to policy and practice to strengthen the evidence to advance Maternal and Child Health (MCH) outcomes. Interdisciplinary training efforts for the future and current MCH workforce must address emerging issues and fill competency gaps to meet critical staffing needs, enhance systems-building, and support equitable MCH outcomes. Purpose: UAB CoE will 1) strengthen and expand the MCH workforce by training graduate and post-graduate public health students in MCH; 2) advance MCH science, research, practice, and policy through a well-trained MCH public health workforce; and 3) establish academic-practice partnerships with state Title V/MCH-related/community agencies, providing technical assistance and subject matter expertise to strengthen MCH capacity. Goals/Objectives: Goals are to 1) establish a national center that recruits and trains graduate and post-graduate students in MCH public health and supports faculty experts who provide technical assistance to the MCH public health field and 2) expand the MCH public health workforce. Objectives are to 1) provide didactic and experiential training in MCH public health that leads to a graduate-level MCH certificate or degree; 2) recruit and train at least 50 students annually, including those from backgrounds underrepresented in the MCH workforce; i.e., economically disadvantaged and racially/ethnically/geographically underrepresented; 3) retain and graduate at least 80% of MCH public health students who complete 300+ hours of training; and 4) establish or strengthen at least three academic-practice partnerships with state Title V/MCH-related/community partners to provide subject matter expertise and strengthen MCH capacity. Activities: Activities include 1) training and education: on-campus and online CEPH-accredited graduate-level certificate, MPH, and DrPH training programs that include Title V/MCH history and legislation, social determinants of health, life course theory, public health leadership skills, cultural and linguistic responsiveness, strategies to reduce disparities in MCH outcomes, emerging MCH/public health issues, MCH epidemiology and methods, and persons with lived experience/community members in the delivery of the curriculum; 2) trainee recruitment and retention: including students from backgrounds underrepresented in the MCH workforce; i.e., economically disadvantaged and racially/ethnically/geographically underrepresented; 3) faculty: faculty from diverse disciplines with MCH expertise, leadership, and practice experience teach, advise, and mentor students and contribute to the MCH evidence base through research and scholarly practice dissemination; 4) MCH student interest group: student-led group meets regularly to build community and advance shared interests; 5) consultation and subject matter expertise: technical assistance for Title V/MCH-related/community agencies to enhance knowledge, epidemiology/data capacity, and applied practice skills; 6) partnerships: academic-practice partnerships and other collaborative efforts with other CoEs, Catalyst Programs, and other Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)/Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB)-funded training programs; and 7) an advisory committee: diverse group of students, alumni, faculty, persons with lived experience/community members, and national and state Title V/MCH-related leaders meets annually to guide program plans and activities. Conclusions: The UAB CoE will prepare a diverse, competent workforce to assume leadership roles in fulfilling the vision of a better future for all mothers, children, and families. Current and future leaders will learn to apply critical thinking skills for problem-solving through education, science, policy, and applied practice that fosters collaborative, systems-building relationships and enhances equitable MCH outcom
