Welcome New Center RAs!
Andrea Smith (she/her) is currently enrolled in the UMN MCH Program and is the Reproductive Justice RA for the Center for Leadership Education in Maternal and Child Public Health. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Financial Management from the University of St. Thomas. She has experience working with community-led health and wellness initiatives, particularly for the African American community in the Twin Cities. Andrea’s areas of interest include reproductive justice, health equity, and improving healthcare access for disadvantaged children and women.
Andrea authors a monthly eNewsletter on the intersections of pregnancy, parenting, and incarceration for the Cross-Center Collaboration of the Health of Justice-Involved Women and Children (JIWC). She also assists with coordinating national network calls and projects for the JIWC, and serves on the MCH Student Interest Group Executive Committee.
Jordan Addison (she/her) is the Communications RA for the Center for Leadership Education in Maternal and Child Public Health. She is a first-year MCH student. Entering the program, Jordan hopes to gain qualitative research skills, continue her work in reproductive sciences, and follow her passion for women’s health and LGBTQ+ health. Prior to her time at the Center, she was a Communications and Project Manager for Society for Reproductive Investigation (SRI), a global reproductive sciences medical research society based in Milwaukee, WI. Jordan holds a dual BA in Global Communications and German, and an undergraduate certificate in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Jordan contributes content to X (Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram platforms for the Center for Leadership Education in Maternal and Child Public Health, as well as maintaining its website. She authors the monthly Healthy Generations eNewsletter that shares MCH local and national events, training, resources, and research. She also creates many Center communication products.
Learn more and ‘meet’ the rest of the Center team here.
Alumni Spotlight: How did Katie Lins’ Deployment with Leap Enhance her Interest in Improving Health Outcomes in St. Paul?
Recent #UMNMCH alumna Katie Lins (MPH 2024) reflects on her experience at Leap Pediatric and Adolescent Care. During her deployment, Katie worked to increase awareness of community resources and improve understanding of their pediatric patient population. By developing needs assessments, creating newsletters, and highlighting community resources, she worked to improve overall patient well-being. Katie wrote, “With the results from the survey, the Leap Clinic can tailor its initiatives and allocate resources according to the specific needs of the community, such as requests for therapy or mental health services to use trauma-informed care models.”
MCH Leads Blog: Building the Bridge from Mentee to Mentor
Tahiyya Khan, a graduate student in Drexel University’s MCH Catalyst program, is the latest featured author for the Health Equity Edition of MCH Leads, the student-led national MCH trainee blog. In her blog post, Tahiyya reflects on her academic journey, the mentors who influenced her and her experiences as a mentor, particularly during her internship with Heights Philadelphia, a non-profit group that helps minority students succeed in high school and post-graduate endeavors. During this internship, she designed an elective for high school students called Arts, Crafts, and Expression (ACE), which aims to develop various coping skills for stress release to prevent burnout. “The role of coaching and mentoring is a guiding light in the constantly changing field of public health. Mentors are essential in helping prospective professionals traverse the difficulties of this industry by molding their path, offering wisdom, and encouraging development.” Learn more about Tahiyya’s contributions here.
Mini Lab: Tips for Storytelling in Public Health with Dr. Richard Krueger
Session 1: How to Tell a Compelling Story
September 19, 2024 | 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM CDT | Virtual
In the Bright Spots Mini-Lab’s first session of the year, participants will examine the characteristics of effective stories for use in public health. Participants will then be encouraged to develop a story on a designated public health theme.
Session 2: Share Your Story
October 31, 2024 | 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM CDT | Virtual
In our second session, participants are invited to share their stories. Five $50 prizes will be raffled to randomly selected presenters. Stories must be submitted in advance, read aloud in 4 minutes or less, and relate to one of the designated public health themes. Share your story or just join and listen!
