Student Spotlight: How Did Dae Akre-Fens’ Time Working with Native Youth Highlight the Need for Public Health to Focus on Intersectionality and Indigeneity?
Student Spotlight: How did Paige Erickson’s Deployment Address Mental Health through a Public Health Lens?
MCH Leads Blog Post: Intentionally Rebirthing Experiences - Health Equity Edition
Anastasia Woods, Tulane Center of Excellence in MCH alumna and HRSA NHSC Scholarship recipient, authored the inaugural post of MCH Leads Health Equity Edition. In her blog post, Anastasia applies MCH Competency # 1, MCH Knowledge Context, and Competency # 11, Working with Communities and Systems, to her experiences as an intern at the National Birth Equity Collaborative, member of the New Orleans MCH Coalition, and to her training and work as a doula through Sista Midwife Productions and the Nashville Volunteer Doula Program. “The racial disparity in maternal mortality is a direct by-product of structural racism, which further perpetuates discrimination within the healthcare sector. Before we can begin to address health inequities within MCH, it is imperative that we understand Black birthing folks’ healthcare needs." Continue reading more about Anastasia’s experience here!
Mini Lab: Parenting Practices and Childhood Obesity–A Positive Deviance Approach with Dr. Junia N. de Brito
February 2, 2023 | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM CDT
Qualitative methods are powerful for studying populations whose practices and behaviors have been largely excluded from or undervalued in public health research. Positive deviance is an approach to program development, evaluation and research which leads to asset-based solutions and messages that come from within and build upon the strengths of communities. It’s been used across the globe to identify low-cost, easily accessible health interventions using community-engaged methods.
In this Learning Lab, Dr. Junia de Brito, Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the UMN Medical School, will share how positive deviance was used to help identify and apply parenting behaviors, practices and strategies that have aided in preventing childhood overweight and obesity among parents enrolled in the Minnesota Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC).
In this example, the positive deviance approach highlights a framework for investigating childhood obesity protective practices. Attend this session and learn how this approach could be used to develop strengths-based practices, programs and services in other public health prevention and intervention efforts.
Attendees at this workshop will learn how to:
Describe the prevalence of childhood obesity in the U.S. and which populations are disproportionately affected by childhood obesity;
Explain the relationship between parent feeding practices and weight outcomes in children;
Define the positive deviance approach to childhood obesity;
Describe how the positive deviance approach to childhood obesity can be used in epidemiological investigations.
Skills Institute: MCH Epidemiology–Monitoring and Evaluation of MCH Programs with Dr. Drissa Toure
We are excited to welcome back Dr. Drissa Toure at our next Workshop. During this session, participants will learn monitoring and evaluation skills for global MCH programs. This Workshop is designed just for MCH and PHN students only; please do not forward. Students funded by the Center or the Leadership, Education and Training (LET) Program in MCH Nutrition are required to attend.
Save the Dates: Reproductive Justice Book Club
The MCH Student Interest Group (MCHIG) will be hosting Reproductive Book Club sessions on the below dates/times. MCHer and MCHIG executive committee member Amanda Moses–with MCH Program alumni Asha Hassan and Dr. J'Mag Karbeah, and the Center's Dr. Jaime Slaughter-Acey–will host/facilitate along with guest speakers. Details coming soon!
March 21, 2023 | 6:00 PM-7:15 PM CDT
April 18, 2023 | 6:00 PM-7:15 PM CDT
Questions? Email Amanda at sphmchig@umn.edu.
Mini Lab: Digital Storytelling with Allison Myers from the StoryCenter
April 27, 2023 | 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM CDT
Allison Myers from the StoryCenter will walk participants through various storytelling techniques and examples. More details coming soon!
