Healthy Generations eNewsletter

#UMNMCH student Mary Kate Leloux; (she/her) (MPH 2024) wrote a reflection on how her deployment with MDH's PRAMS Project and passion for communities has developed her interest in representative public health data. “The demographic summaries that I created will be used to adjust the sampling to ensure that the data is representative of the population. This is necessary to identify health disparities as well as tailor programs and interventions to create an equitable future for Minnesotans.” Read more about Mary Kate’s deployment here.

Mahnoor Fatima, from the HRSA-funded Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health at Emory University, is the newest author for the Health Equity Edition of MCH Leads, the student-led national MCH trainee blog. In her blog post, Mahnoor applies MCH Competency 10 (Interdisciplinary/Interprofessional Team Building) to her fellowship with the SRHR Global Program Services Team at Pathfinder International where she led a specialized internal task force consisting of country directors, technical advisors, and business unit directors to advance Pathfinder’s work on Child, Early, and Forced Marriages (CEFM). “To lead the task force, I undertook literature reviews, evidence, and data-gathering to understand the prevalence, need, and burden of CEFM globally as well as in the countries already in our portfolios…” Continue reading more about Mahnoor’s health equity efforts here

This brief aims to provide information on Indigenous Peoples in the U.S. and U.S. territories for those who fund and conduct research, evaluation, and technical assistance. The brief is not only for those with experience engaging with Indigenous Peoples in these activities, but also for those seeking to engage with and fund Indigenous work. The authors hope that, with this guidance, individuals and organizations who work with Indigenous children, youth, and families—and those who fund this work—can begin to counteract the impacts of colonization, inadequate and/or harmful federal policies, and research abuses.

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November 8, 2023 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM CDT | Minneapolis College

Join Minneapolis College for a conversation with Black women adoptees Angela Tucker, author of the new book You Should Be Grateful: Stories of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption, and Shannon Gibney, author of The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be: A Speculative Memoir of Transracial Adoption, and co-editor and contributor to When We Become Ours: A YA Adoptee Anthology. Tucker and Gibney will discuss the new and ever-changing terrain of the literature on adoption, the critical interventions adoptees are making in this area, and how policy and best practices in the fields of adoption and permanency might productively engage with it.

November 9, 2023 | 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM CDT | Virtual | $30

This Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health (MAMCH) presentation will share information on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), address common misunderstandings, and offer practical strategies. Learn how prenatal alcohol exposure impacts brain development, and how to use this information to improve outcomes for individuals with FASD. Youth with FASD will also share their personal stories and advice based on their own experiences.

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November 10-11, 2023 | Saint Paul, MN and Virtual | $160 - $250

The Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative (FREC) is hosting its 15th annual conference with keynote speaker Dr. Yohuru Williams, a Distinguished University Chair and Professor of History and Founding Director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas. The theme focuses on two distinct and related topics:

(1) Historical Recovery – reclaiming movements, strategies, and approaches from the past that could be useful in our current work—if they were known, and

(2) Paying What’s Due to those harmed by oppressive acts sanctioned by government and every other sector in our society in which primarily Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities were stripped of their land, rights and ability to create generational wealth. Black and Indigenous people also experienced cultural genocide, of which the after-effects are still felt today.

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November 14, 2023 | 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM CDT | McNamara Alumni Center | $25

This professional development summit is designed to help women innovators connect the dots between their ideas and achieve positive, significant impact. This event will inspire, inform, and connect students, faculty, and professionals.

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November 15, 2023 | 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM CDT | Virtual | $45

This presentation provided by MACMH will promote an understanding of preventative strategies as well as optimize function for children with sensory processing differences and mental health challenges to create a positive and predictable environment. Participants will increase their understanding of Winnie Dunn's theory of sensory processing including eight sensory systems, realistic interventions to promote improvement in daily functioning, and the connection between sensory processing challenges and common mental health disorders.

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November 16, 2023 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM CDT | Virtual

November 16, 2023 | 12:30 PM - 4:30 PM CDT | Virtual | $60

Many professionals are working tirelessly to shift the behavioral paradigm away from the traditional behavioral approach and toward current relational and neuroscience research During this presentation hosted by MACMH, participants will take that information and use it to redesign tools that they use frequently in schools and community settings today - functional behavioral assessments and positive behavioral interventions plans.

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November 16 - 17, 2023 | Minneapolis and Saint Paul, MN and Virtual | $75-250

The Minnesota Justice Research Center’s (MNJRC) annual conference is an inspirational convening of a broad diversity of criminal legal system practitioners, scholars, advocates, impacted persons, and community members. Through keynotes, plenaries, and breakout sessions, they will create the space to share and learn from efforts to bring the criminal legal system closer to a true justice system. This year they will be "centering humanity over fear" as their theme.

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November 28, 2023 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | Virtual

Many barriers to good health are rooted in structural racism – an unjust system of laws, procedures, and beliefs that cement racial and ethnic inequity. A critical step in addressing these inequities will be learning how to communicate effectively about them with members of our communities and policymakers. During this webinar hosted by the Public Health Communication Collaborative, expert panelists will share key findings from their research on policy-oriented and public-oriented communications about structural racism and public health.

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December 5, 2023 | 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM CDT | Saint Paul, MN | $30

Explore various stages of social and emotional development during infancy and toddlerhood at this MACMH webinar. Examine trust vs. mistrust, communication with the baby, stranger anxiety, social referencing, bonding and attachment, and peer relationships. Learn various ways to enhance infants' and toddlers' social and emotional development through a variety of activities.

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The UIC Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health hosted our recent Justice-Involved Women and Children Collaborative (JIWC) webinar. In this recording, Dr. Ellen Mason facilitated a discussion with Gail Smith and Diana Delgado focused on alternatives to incarceration and the Children’s Best Interest Act, which requires courts to consider children’s needs when sentencing parents. This webinar is available until November 20, 2023.

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Health communicators are important leaders in crisis response, and their role is essential during times of fear or uncertainty. To support the nation’s public health emergency response network, this webinar recording from the Public Health Communication Collaborative features expert panelists who share practical strategies, tools, and considerations to develop your organization’s approach to crisis communications.