#UMNMCH student Kelly Gill (she/her, 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 in the field of public health so it can receive the funding, research, and policy changes needed to save lives.
Path to the MCH Program
I started my undergraduate college career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison deciding between nursing and teaching majors. I was drawn to the science content of nursing, but ultimately decided that teaching better aligned with my interests in relationship building, child development, psychology, and equity work. After graduating with a BS in Elementary Education, I worked as a second-grade teacher. This role opened my eyes to the systemic forces impacting children and their families outside of the classroom. I was inspired to seek out further education that would position me to make lasting changes in the field of maternal and child health.
I chose to apply for the University of Minnesota’s MPH program because it aligns with my interest in community-focused care, science and data, justice-oriented advocacy, and writing. In a way, it felt like this program combined many of the things I love about the fields of nursing and teaching. Aside from the University of Minnesota’s reputation as a research institution, I was grateful that the Maternal and Child Health program is offered fully online. I applied to this program at a time of transition in my life, between leaving the classroom full-time and getting married, so moving to Minneapolis would not have been an option for me. Having the opportunity to complete my studies remote from Madison, WI allows me the flexibility to maintain my current part-time job and living situation. The virtual program has been well-organized and thoughtfully designed to ensure I am engaged in rigorous work, even at a distance.
Learning in Action at MDH
My deployment is with the Minnesota Department of Health’s Women’s Health Unit. This unit is a part of the MCH Section, which provides statewide leadership and public health information essential for promoting, improving or maintaining the health and well-being of women, children and families throughout Minnesota. My deployment also served as my required applied practice experience, so my projects were designed to meet several public health and maternal and child health competencies. Under the guidance of the MDH Women’s Health Unit Supervisor Alina Kraynak, I developed a policy brief recommending Minnesota develop Standards for Respectful Maternity Care and a fact sheet on Perinatal Peer Support Specialists. These projects allowed me to apply my research skills, advocate for policy changes, and summarize innovative research in a format that is accessible to a diverse audience.
Policy Brief: Bill of Birthing Rights
The state’s current policies and practices need updating to ensure that women, especially those facing racial bias and discrimination, experience respectful and dignified care during pregnancy and labor. My policy brief examined the human right to a respectful birthing experience, and discussed a recommended policy for state-level respectful birth standards. The idea for the policy brief on adopting standards for respectful maternity care came from New York City Standards for Respectful Care at Birth. These standards identify key patient rights: education, informed consent, decision-making, quality of care, support, and dignity and non-discrimination. This tool is intended to inform, educate, and support people giving birth. I used this policy as the gold-standard recommendation for Minnesota legislatures in my brief.
Fact Sheet: Perinatal Peer Support Model
A perinatal peer support specialist is someone who uses their own experiences with perinatal mental health to help others who are going through similar situations. The fact sheet defines the peer support role, summarizes the evidence for a peer support model, outlines the path to certification in Minnesota, shares optional perinatal add-on training opportunities, and notes the barriers and next steps to a successful perinatal peer support workforce.
To create the Peer Support Specialist fact sheet, I first reviewed available literature on the peer support model and perinatal peer support interventions. I also reviewed the April 2023 Issue Brief from the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health (formerly known as 2020 Mom). The existing research found that perinatal peer support is a promising practice for addressing maternal mental health disorders. Pilot studies by the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health identified next steps and barriers to implementation. Together, these findings became the basis for the fact sheet I created to summarize the current state of the perinatal peer support model and paths to certification in Minnesota.
Beyond the Deployment
This deployment allowed me to apply research, project management, writing, data analysis, and policy skills from my coursework to real-world projects. Through this experience, I have gained a greater understanding of how state departments of health can contribute to the improvement of maternal health. In particular, writing the fact sheet and policy brief afforded me the chance to see the strategic ways public health professionals are transforming research into action. I will bring this learning into my future career, where I plan to leverage evidence-based practices and frameworks to improve maternal mental health care.
BIO
Kelly Gill will graduate in Spring 2025 with an MPH in Maternal and Child Health and a minor in Technical Communication. Kelly received her BS in Elementary Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and worked as a second-grade teacher before beginning her public health graduate studies. She recently served as the Title V Intern for the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services in Summer 2024. In her spare time, she enjoys running, exploring Madison’s restaurant scene, and snuggling up with a book and her pet rabbits. After graduation, Kelly hopes to work in a state Department of Health on a maternal health project leveraging qualitative data analysis as a force for change.
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