Andrea Lawson is a second-year MCH student deployed to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) in partnership with the Minnesota Breastfeeding Coalition, a group whose purpose is to create healthy environments where breastfeeding is valued and supported to achieve natural infant feeding in all Minnesota communities. The Minnesota Breastfeeding Coalition Perinatal Experiences Study sought to […]
Author: UMN_MCHTraining
Student Spotlight: How are Claire Felter’s and Asmeret Abraha’s Interests in Social Connectedness and Health Paving Their Paths in Their Masters Program?
#UMNMCH students Claire Felter (MPH 2025) and Asmeret Abraha (MPH 2026) describe their deployments at Leap Pediatric and Adolescent Care in St. Paul. Through literature reviews and surveys, they have worked to identify how social connectedness impacts health and how this applies to the St. Paul communities that Leap serves. They hope that their work […]
Student Spotlight: How Has Diana Augustin Shaped an MCH Research Portfolio While at the University of Minnesota?
#UMNMCH student Diana Augustin (MPH 2025) reflects on their public health journey spurred by an interest in reproductive health. From a quirky theater class to an NIH research fellowship and roles at the Justice-Involved Women and Children’s (JIWC) Collaborative and the Cannabis Research Center, Diana’s focus has been on the societal and sociopolitical determinants of […]
Student Spotlight: How is Ingri Ramirez Enhancing Outcomes for Children and Families?
#UMNMCH student, Ingri L. Ramirez-Martin (MPH 2025), describes her experience working with the Ramsey County Children’s Mental Health Collaborative (RCCMHC). The RCCMHC works to improve access to mental health services for children and families. The organization emphasizes a holistic approach, advocating for care coordination and resource navigation to address the mental health needs of both […]
Student Spotlight: How is Aarin Urevig Informing Breastfeeding Practices Through Research and Community Engagement?
#UMNMCH student Aarin Urevig (MPH 2025) reflects on her journey to Maternal and Child Health, her deployment with the Minnesota Breastfeeding Coalition and the Minnesota Department of Health, and her work analyzing breastfeeding support, perceived unfair practices, and barriers for Black women in urban communities. With a background in public health nursing, lactation support, and […]
Student Spotlight: How did Grace Armon Connect Her Geography Background to Maternal and Child Health with the Title V MCH Internship Program?
#UMNMCH student Grace Armon (MPH 2025) describes her Applied Experience (APEX) with the Title V MCH Internship Program through the National MCH Workforce Development Center. Her internship with the South Dakota Title V Division focused on analyzing community needs assessments. Grace’s background in geography and passion for place effects on health equipped her with the […]
Student Spotlight: How did Bella Mualem’s Deployment with the Minnesota Vision Health Task Force Shape Her Interests in Health Organizational Leadership?
#UMNMCH student, Bella Mualem (MPH 2025), describes her deployment with the Minneapolis Public Schools Early Childhood Screening Department and the Vision Health Task Force. As a part of her deployment, Bella helped create awareness campaign materials to improve vision screening in Minnesota children. She also actively developed leadership skills to formalize training processes and create […]
Student Spotlight: How is Ashlee Cermak Working to Reframe Our Understanding of Mental Health and Well-being?
#UMNMCH student Ashlee Cermak (MPH 2026) reflects on the experiences that led her to MCH and her internship with the collaborative Socio-Ecological Model of Mental Health and Well-being project. Ashlee conducted extensive literature reviews to identify environmental influences on mental health. She hopes that her work synthesizing and presenting this important mental health framework will […]
Student Spotlight: How did Katya Ivanchuk Identify Family-Centered Supports in St. Paul?
#UMNMCH student Katya Ivanchuk (MCH 2025) reflects on her deployment with Leap Pediatric and Adolescent Care in St. Paul, where she worked on a community needs assessment, literature review, and resource outreach campaign. Her work focused on enhancing the health and wellness of families by researching local organizations and promoting family-centered support. Leap Pediatric and […]
Student Spotlight: How is Kelly Gill Supporting Maternal Wellbeing through Birth Care and Perinatal Peer Support?
#UMNMCH student Kelly Gill (MPH 2025) wrote this reflection on her deployment at the Minnesota Department of Health’s Women’s Health Unit. As a part of her position, Kelly created multiple briefs to improve the availability of resources that would improve maternal outcomes. Kelly hopes that maternal mental health continues gaining visibility as a key issue […]
Student Spotlight: How is Najma Dahir-Abdulla’s Passion for Global Maternal Health Making a Local Impact for Black Families?
#UMNMCH student Najma Dahir-Abdulla (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. […]
Little Eyes, Big Eyes (LEBE)
About Minnesota is home to 11 Tribal Nations and over 68,000 Native Americans. Due to systemic barriers, these communities often face higher poverty rates and limited access to preventive healthcare. The Little Eyes, Big Eyes (LEBE) initiative was created by VHMN to bridge these gaps. We center Native American experiences to provide culturally sensitive, equitable […]
Student Spotlight: How did Vivian Pham’s Deployment with the Minnesota Department of Health’s Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) Project Influence Her Drive for Health Advocacy?
#UMNMCH student, Vivian Pham (MPH 2024), wrote this reflection on how her deployment with Minnesota PRAMS has contributed to her transformative journey in MCH, shaping her into a steadfast advocate for the well-being of families and children worldwide. PRAMS: Unveiling the Foundation of Maternal and Child Health Surveillance I had the great honor of being […]
State Laws on Adequate Nutrition for People Who Are Pregnant While Incarcerated
A State Policy Brief from the National University-Based Collaborative on Justice-Involved Women & Children (JIWC) March 2024 Executive Summary: No federal statutes cover prenatal nutrition for incarcerated pregnant people and fewer than one-third of U.S. states have passed laws requiring health-promoting nutrition policies for pregnant people who are incarcerated. Of the 16 states that have […]