Healthy Generations eNewsletter

This eNewsletter is brought to you by the

Center for Leadership Education in Maternal and Child Public Health.

Ilhan Adan (she/her), MCHSIG Outreach: My name is Ilhan Adan and I am a dual-degree Social Work and Public Health (SPH) student at the University of Minnesota (UMN). I am excited to join the Maternal and Child Health Student Interest Group (MCHSIG) team and connect with the SPH community. In my free time, I love to cafe-hop and try new coffees/matcha beverages, read books, and spend time with family and friends. I hope to work in the clinical mental health field and the public health sector in the future.

Mary Kenny (she/her), MCH Blog and MCHSIG Communications: My name is Mary Kenny and I am a first year MPH student in the MCH Program. I graduated from Boston College in 2022 in Applied Psychology and Human Development with a focus on Child Development. I have always had a passion for menstrual equity, specifically through the lens of education, advocacy, and policy. In order to discuss these topics more thoroughly in college, I grouped together a set of minors and wrote my thesis on menstrual equity and reproductive justice for menstruators in both Minnesota and Massachusetts. After college, I worked at the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston. I held two positions there - the first was conducting assessments of children, families, and volunteers in order to make Big/Little matches, and the second was designing and delivering a strengths-based curriculum in a group mentoring program about emotional wellbeing in schools all across Boston. I have experience as a project manager and am committed to social justice work. I have a deep passion for systems work which involves mentorship, family well-being, and both of their intersections to mental and physical health. In my spare time, you can find me near a lake, going on a walk, spending time with my sisters, reading, trying new foods, or embroidering.

#UMNMCH student Najma Dahir-Abdulla (she/her, MPH 2025) describes her deployment at the Innovations for Maternal Health Outcomes in Minnesota (I-MOM) program at the Minnesota Department of Health. As a part of her deployment, she played a key role in managing evaluations for perinatal health improvement initiatives and communicating important maternal health program updates across the state. Najma hopes to use the skills she’s built at her deployment and as an MPH student to advance health equity using community-based solutions. Najma writes, “The process of gathering community feedback, ensuring that diverse voices are heard, and tailoring strategies to meet the unique needs of different populations has been both eye-opening and inspiring. It has shown me that while policy changes and data collection are critical, at the center of this work is genuine partnerships with the communities we serve.” Read more about Najma’s experience in this month’s Student Spotlight.

Alyana Almenar, a recent graduate from the Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Program at the University of California, Berkeley, is the October feature of the Health Equity Edition of MCH Leads. In her blog entry, Alyana applies MCH Competency 11 (Systems Approach) to her work with the SisterWeb San Francisco Community Doula Network. “Culturally congruent Community Doulas can play a vital role in ensuring that patients feel supported in all aspects of their pregnancy journey, are knowledgeable about their options, and receive culturally congruent care in clinical settings. They also ensure that hospitals are held accountable for providing equitable, quality care to their patients of color.” Learn more about Alyana’s contributions here!

• Author and Presenter: Cynthia Hillyer and Jennifer Leo, in partnership with the Vision Health Task Force

• Authors and Presenter: Sara Benning (Center Director), Maha Mehmood, Christine Bozlak, Rachel de Long, and Estefanía Henríquez Luthje (UMN MCH Alumni)

• Authors and Presenters: Aarin Urevig (current MCH student), Tiffany Gallagher, and Marcia McCoy (MCH Alumni)

Session 2: Share Your Story

October 31, 2024 | 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM CDT | Virtual

In our second session, participants are invited to share their stories. Five $50 prizes will be raffled to randomly selected presenters. Stories must be submitted in advance, read aloud in 4 minutes or less, and relate to one of the designated public health themes. Share your story or just join and listen!

-Register here
If you missed session 1, you can watch the recording here on our YouTube channel.

This publication from the UMN Rural Health Research Center summarizes the challenges that face rural communities when providing/seeking out obstetric care. Learn more about the clinical services and policies that can improve access and quality of care in rural communities.

October 11, 2024 | 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM CDT | Minneapolis, MN

This unique, day-long training session emphasizes the importance of providing mental health support to children. Hosted by the Washburn Center, registration is free but will be limited to 30 attendees. There are sessions available in November and December as well.

October 16, 2024 | 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM CDT | Virtual

To finish out the Region IV Public Health Training Center’s three-part installation on enhancing the skills of public health professionals (with a focus on Southeastern states), attendees will learn how to evaluate community engagement. Guest speaker Dr. Joyee Washington is a Community-Engaged Research Consultant from Jackson, Mississippi and also hosts The Public Health Joy Podcast.

Educators make great allies, and creating psychological safety ensures safety for ALL. This two-page resource from the UMN Center for Healthy Youth Development has lots of good tidbits of information to help create safe spaces for youth.

Birth control comes in many shapes and sizes. Get involved, test your sex ed knowledge, read personal stories, and more here.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). This year’s #1Thing DVAM Campaign is being funded by the Administration for Children and Families. Think of #1Thing you can do to get involved, take action, access free tools and materials, and make a difference for those affected by domestic violence.

October is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month. Find resources on the #ClearTheCrib Challenge, access ready-made social media content, and register for upcoming SIDS webinars.

This new US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report discusses the current lack of national data on pregnant persons in state prisons and local jails. Here, GAO reports the existing data, federal grant information, and other relevant/peer-reviewed studies. The report also includes interview and site visit info to share qualitative and quantitative methods and perspectives.

You received this message because you have subscribed to the Healthy Generations listserv. This newsletter is produced monthly by the Center for Leadership Education in Maternal and Child Public Health at the University of Minnesota. Email mch@umn.edu to have your event, resource, or publication included in our eNewsletter.

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