#UMNMCH student Maddie Wolf (MPH 2026), shares how her deployment with Vision Health Minnesota helped catch vision abnormalities early-on in children to prevent future harm. In this piece, Maddie shares how this experience reinvigorated her passion for serving children and families in the community.

Although I didn’t realize it at the time, my path to a Maternal and Child Health (MCH) MPH started my first year of college at the University of Minnesota. As one of my  honors requirements, I attended a freshman seminar course on public health, and was immediately amazed by how diverse this field can be. Following the completion of my B.S. in early childhood, I began exploring the MCH field by teaching preschool, which I continue to do today. I love working with children and seeing them grow, but I wanted to do something more to compliment this field experience. The MCH Program felt like a perfect fit, combining my interests and passions in the fields of child development and family health promotion. I am continually engaged by how specialized the courses of the MCH Program are, focusing on specific populations such as women’s health or maternal nutrition. I am able to learn more about population-based approaches to health while focusing these efforts towards the vulnerable populations I am most invested in protecting. 

When I confirmed my enrollment in the UMN MPH Program, I was invited to apply for one of the Center’s deployment opportunities. When I read the description of the Vision Health Minnesota position, I knew it would be a great fit. Given my background in early childhood, I know first-hand the importance of a child’s first five years of life and development. These critical years set the foundation for not only success in childhood and adolescence, but further into adulthood. Vision health is essential, and something that many take for granted. If children are experiencing vision problems, early intervention can be critically important to promote long-term health. Vision Health Minnesota is a group of stakeholders working to improve vision health and vision care outcomes in Minnesota, with a particular focus on children as well as underserved communities. Monthly meetings are held to discuss current initiatives, obtain feedback from members, and identify areas for improvement or future direction. 

The organization works to coordinate and host vision screening events where an instrument takes pictures of participant’s eyes. The instrument can detect conditions such as hyperopia, myopia, astigmatism, and strabismus. These screenings occur at community events or through early childhood screening services at public schools, which are required in Minnesota before children start Kindergarten. If an abnormality is identified, it is recommended to see an eye doctor for a thorough eye exam. If we catch these abnormalities from a young age, we can treat these vision challenges early and prevent future complications or vision loss. These vision screenings have been a big part of my work as an intern. Beyond these events, I also create the agendas and guide facilitated discussions during our monthly meetings. These monthly check-ins are the main opportunity for members to update one another on the work they are doing and gain insights from people in other industries and fields. During this deployment, I created a one-pager in collaboration with fellow MCH student Anna Fuerniss that describes who the task force is and what we do. This document can be used to share information about Vision Health Minnesota for prospective organizations or groups that want to host screening events.

My favorite part about this position is getting to work with like-minded people from a range of diverse backgrounds who are united behind vision health promotion and upstream action. It has been eye-opening to see how many systems are at work when we think about improving vision health such as medical, law, policy, and educational institutions. Over the course of this internship, I have learned the importance of an interdisciplinary approach, working across different industries and professions. Collaboration leads to improved outcomes. This can feel overwhelming at times, but taking the first step is usually the hardest part. If we as health professionals work together and collaborate across systems, we can make a substantial difference. 

BIO

Maddie is a second-year MCH MPH student at the University of Minnesota, her alma mater, where she previously earned a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood. 

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