Healthy Generations eNewsletter

The Center’s leadership team is excited to share that the Center for Leadership Education in Maternal and Child Public Health has been renewed by HRSA MCHB (the Health Resources and Services Administration’s MCH Bureau) for the 2025-2030 grant period! This grant supports all aspects of the Center and its operations, and marks years 70-75 of funding.

We also received a one-time award that will help us develop interactive, open-access web resources on MCH emerging issues, expand culturally responsive postpartum mental health programming in greater Minnesota, and create practitioner-led MCH courses.

We look forward to carrying on the Center's work with our inspiring MCH students, community and agency partners, and colleagues from other MCHB-funded Centers of Excellence and Catalyst Programs.

#UMNMCH students Asmeret Abraha (MPH 2026) and Claire Felter (MCH 2025) describe their deployments at Leap Pediatric and Adolescent Care (Open Cities Health Center) 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 the clinic serves. They hope that their work can improve the clinic's ability to provide interventions beyond the clinical realm. Describing their deployment, they say “We've learned how meaningful data collection and interpretation can inform real-world interventions that go beyond the clinic walls. This experience has not only strengthened our research and analytical skills but has also deepened our appreciation for patient-centered care.”

Mary Kenny, a graduate student in the UMN’s School of Public Health (SPH) MCH Program, is the latest author for MCH Leads, the national student-led MCH trainee blog. In her blog post, Mary reflects on three distinct experiences from the first year of her master’s program, all of which emphasized the importance of cross-sector teamwork. Mary shares how personal and professional team building strengthens MCH within or across communities. “These experiences, coupled with course work, launch me into the next phase of my career as an MCH public health professional. MCH Competency 10, ‘Interdisciplinary and Interprofessional Team Building’ acts as a continuous reminder to collaborate, invigorate, encourage, support, and seek opportunities for professional collaboration.” Learn more about Mary’s contributions here.

October 9, 2025 | 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM CDT | Virtual

Qualitative researchers sometimes feel isolated in fields that emphasize numbers and measurable outcomes. Looking to the past for inspiration, 18th-century salons offer a model for bringing voices together to share ideas and strengthen community. This is especially important in public health, where researchers often must defend the value of qualitative approaches. Join us for the Bright Spots Mini-Lab’s first session of the year featuring Dr. Stuart Grande to explore practical techniques and methods in qualitative research.

-Register here

September 22, 2025 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CDT | Virtual

Throughout the year, the Minnesota Perinatal Quality Collaborative hosts free, virtual sessions which focus on substance use and mental health for expectant mothers. September’s session aims to shed light on perinatal emotions and anxiety. Please register for this session and learn more here.

The Minnesota Society of Public Health Education (MN SOPHE) invites public health students and professionals to attend their annual summit. MN SOPHE members will receive a discount upon registration, but you do not have to be a member to register. Read more about what the summit includes and be sure to register here.