January 11, 2024

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January 11, 2024

AMCHP Annual Conference

Have you saved the date for the 2024 AMCHP Annual Conference? Mark your calendars to join us April 13-16, 2024, at the Oakland Marriott City Center, in Oakland, California! We will continue to offer content in-person and virtually through our conference platform with the theme Partnering with Purpose. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our Annual Conference Newsletter to be the first to receive updates and information about the conference, and share the link with your peers!

Conference Platform is LIVE

Everything about AMCHP 2024 is available in one place! Visit our conference platform to view the schedule at-a-glance (which includes opportunities for networking and skill-building sessions as well as plenty of impactful workshops and inspiring plenary sessions.), hotel and travel information, and much more!

Early Bird Registration is Due February 12

We are only one month away from the Early Bird registration deadline for the 2024 AMCHP Annual Conference! Register to attend in person or virtually by February 12, 2024, to take advantage of the early bird pricing. Visit our conference platform to view more information regarding registration rates, including discounted rates for youth/students, community-based organizations, tribal entities, and family leaders.

Are you not sure whether you will attend in person or virtually? You can change your attendance status without penalties until March 11, 2024.

Start planning your attendance and register now to secure your spot!

Still Accepting Hotel Reservations

You can still make your hotel reservation to attend AMCHP 2024 in person. Book your stay at the Oakland Marriott in Oakland, CA, by March 16, 2024, or until the block sells out. We look forward to seeing you!

Support Youth, Family Leaders, Community-Rooted Partners, and Representatives of Tribal Entities at Our Upcoming Annual Conference

Our annual conference is fast approaching. While we can’t wait to see you at AMCHP 2024, we also recognize the deep value of having youth and young adult leaders (including students), family leaders, community-based organizations (CBOs), community-rooted partners, and representatives of tribal entities attend as well.

AMCHP has composed a letter from our President and CEO providing further details about ways to support these individuals to attend. We shared a similar letter last year, and based on our conference evaluation, it inspired jurisdictions to financially support 10 youth and young adult leaders (including students), family leaders, CBOs, community-rooted partners, and tribal government representatives to participate. Nearly a quarter of those who received the letter indicated that it helped them build or strengthen relationships with the individuals that they sponsored to attend the conference.

We are hopeful that this letter will have the same, or an even larger, impact this year. We also hope that it inspires you and your colleagues to have conversations about ways that you can further partner with purpose and support these individuals and groups in your own work.

Check out our conference registration page for more information.

AMCHP Annual Conference Scholarship for Community-Based Organization (CBO), Youth and Tribal Entities

The AMCHP Annual Conference for Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), Youth, and Tribal Entities Scholarship aims to invite and financially support youth and young adult leaders (including students), CBOs, and representatives of tribal entities involved with maternal and child health (MCH) efforts to attend. Often, community members and youth and young adults are not involved, integrated, or prioritized when it comes to the various policies and programs that impact their peers and families. Cultivating and sustaining relationships with diverse leaders cannot be achieved without amplifying, supporting, and compensating the efforts of community leaders who contribute to the vitality of maternal and child health. This effort ties directly into the overall theme of partnership for this year’s upcoming conference while also being a focus of AMCHP’s strategic plan around partnership development.

How Can I Support?

As we recognize the need to involve and prioritize diverse leaders in discussions and decisions that affect their communities and families, we invite you to make a meaningful impact by making a financial investment towards enabling representatives from these groups to attend this year’s conference, either in-person or virtually.

AMCHP is committed to providing a space and audience so that the talent and expertise of community representatives are recognized and integrated into MCH priorities. Fostering an environment at the conference to learn from, network with, and share insights with one another is a great opportunity for you to do so as well! We believe that supporting representatives to attend the conference will increase your program’s capacity in youth and community engagement as well as leadership development. Your support is not just a donation; it’s a meaningful step toward building and sustaining trusting relationships with these groups in your state or jurisdiction.

We encourage you to visit our conference registration page and consider making the financial investment to send youth and young adults, CBOs, and representatives of tribal entities from your state or jurisdiction to the conference either in-person or virtually.

Blog Post – Bridging Communities Through Strategic Partnerships: AMCHP 2024 Partnering with Purpose

As maternal and child health (MCH) professionals, our purpose remains at the heart of every decision, collaboration, and initiative we undertake. This year, as we focus on intentional impact, we introduce our 2024 AMCHP Annual Conference theme: Partnering with Purpose. AMCHP has always believed that collaboration isn’t just about joining forces, but coming together with intent, direction, and vision to make an impact for communities.

The AMCHP 2024 theme acknowledges a foundational concept: while we are powerful as individuals, our true strength is magnified through collaboration. It calls upon each of us in the MCH community to be deliberate about who we partner with and how we forge these relationships. Through this idea, we are choosing a path rooted in authenticity as we seek to amplify the voices of those we serve, understand power dynamics, and ensure that our joint efforts reflect genuine respect and mutual goals.  [read more]

New from AMCHP

Introducing AMCHP’s Systems Mapping Tools to Advance Birth Equity

AMCHP is pleased to announce the release of the Birth Equity Action Map and additional systems mapping tools to advance birth equity!

The Birth Equity Action Map describes urgent actions needed by specific system actors (i.e., birth equity partners) to improve birth and racial equity, and highlights where in the system funders can use their leverage to accelerate birth equity. This tool is intended to accelerate the work of communities, coalitions, and funders in strategically assessing their efforts, identifying opportunities, and committing to specific actions to strengthen the birth equity ecosystem. The map was co-created by AMCHP, the University of North Carolina (UNC) Gillings School of Global Public Health, Vijaya K Hogan (VKH) Consulting LLC, and 48 other diverse partners, representing federal, national, state, local, and community-based birth equity partners.

Explore the Systems Mapping Tools to Advance Birth Equity web-based resource to interact with the map, view the full list of actions and descriptions, or check out the actions associated with a specific system actor or barrier to change.

Not sure where to start? Our team is here to support you in applying the Birth Equity Action Map to your context! Please fill out this brief form to request support and our team will be in touch.

Maternal and Child Health Journal Special Issue on Public Health Approaches to Perinatal Substance Use

AMCHP and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) published a special issue of the Maternal and Child Health Journal on Public Health Approaches to Perinatal Substance Use. The special issue features twenty-one open-access articles focusing on the latest research, programs, and policy initiatives related to perinatal substance use. Learn more about the special issue through our press release.

In December 2023, AMCHP and ASTHO unveiled the special issue by convening a select group of authors from the special issue to present their work and engage in enriching discussion. The experts shared strategies to build the evidence base and scale up evidence-based approaches to support perinatal people with substance use disorder and their families. Please watch the event recording and view the event materials.

We invite you to keep the conversation going on social media by using AMCHP’s social media toolkit. 

AMCHP Announcements

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New Deadline! Call for 2024 AMCHP Annual Award Nominations Is Extended to January 26

Did you consider nominating a colleague or leader for the 2024 AMCHP Annual Awards but ran out of time? You still have a second chance!

Nominations for all awards have been extended until January 26, 2024:

Vince Hutchins Leadership Awards: For leadership in promoting a society responsive to the needs of women, children, youth, and families.
John McQueen Lecture Award: For innovation in the field of maternal and child health. Candidates must be able to record the lecture for distribution during the AMCHP Annual Conference in April 2024.
Merle McPherson Family Leadership Award: For exemplary contributions to further family/professional collaboration within a state or jurisdictional Title V Program and AMCHP.
Emerging MCH Professional Award: For outstanding state MCH professionals under age 45 whose work has made substantial contributions to their state’s MCH program, their state’s MCH outcomes, or made other significant contributions to promoting and protecting the health of women, children, and families in their state or jurisdiction.
Excellence in State MCH Leadership Award: For an outstanding state MCH professional whose career has made significant contributions to the health of women, children, and families in their state or jurisdiction.
Ryan Colburn Scholarship Award: For a youth-with-disabilities leader to attend the AMCHP Annual Conference, connect with family leaders, and continue to spread Ryan’s message of hope.

All award winners are invited to accept their award at the 2024 AMCHP Annual Conference, held in a hybrid format from April 13-16, 2024, in Oakland, California. Limited travel support is available for some awards.

Need more information on the nomination process? View our Call for Nominations Webinar recording to learn more about the nomination process from AMCHP Staff and Board leadership. You can also visit our webpage to view past winners from 2022 and 2023 for inspiration!

Interested in nominating someone? Please complete the nomination form and submit all materials to awards@amchp.org by January 26, 2024.

AMCHP’s BirthWork Podcast Releases New Episode Featuring Marna Armstead and Ankita Patel 

Listen to the second two-part episode of AMCHP’s new podcast, BirthWork, inspired by two doulas representing the community-based organizations engaged with the Safer Childbirth Cities Initiative. The grantees are driving community-led initiatives to address structural determinants of health and strengthen the comprehensive perinatal workforce in their cities.

Everyone walking this planet is born from someone — yet we rarely celebrate the people and the work of bringing new life into this world. In the face of persistent inequities and threats leading to the Black maternal health crisis and other critical injustices in perinatal health, community-led solutions, policies, and movements are paving pathways toward better birth outcomes. In this podcast, we’ll dig into the work happening today by tremendous individuals to ensure generations of thriving and striving communities.

In this ongoing podcast, you’ll hear directly from leaders, organizers, and birthworkers as they share what it takes to confront structural and systemic barriers to health and wellbeing and celebrate the transformation of birth for individuals, families, communities, states, and our nation. Together, we will reimagine what birth experiences can be.  

What Makes a Doula, Featuring Marna Armstead

Birthworkers have been attending pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum for centuries. In the 21st century, birthworkers, such as doulas, continue to provide vital support to birthing people while simultaneously addressing challenges faced by all mothers in America, and especially birthing people of color. In this special two-part episode, your AMCHP hosts speak with two doulas to explore their inspirations and motivations for birth work. Marna Armstead from San Francisco reflects on her experiences in a system that has medicalized birth and what it truly means to advocate as a birth companion through culturally congruent care. Listen to learn about the joy doulas spread to individuals, families, and communities at large helping to create more respectful and equitable birthing spaces from coast to coast. And don’t forget to catch part 2 of this episode where we talk to Ankita Patel from Tampa, FL.  

Guest Speaker: Marna Armstead, Doula and Co-Founder of SisterWeb in San Francisco, California  

Cohost: Shaquelle Ballou, former Program Manager at AMCHP 

Supporting the Doula, Featuring Ankita Patel

With the continuing shortage of maternal health care providers, doulas are filling in the gaps to respectfully support birthing people and families to navigate systems of care before, during, and after childbirth. The importance of offsetting the emotional burden from birthworkers is only growing as we rely on their expertise and lived experience to actionably address racial equity in maternal health. As doulas are known for their steadfast support throughout the birthing process, we are reminded in part two of BirthWork’s episode on doulas to prioritize the wellbeing of doulas and other members of the perinatal workforce. Your AMCHP cohost explores what it means to provide doula care to support a diverse community and the fluidity in the role of a doula with Ankita Patel of REACHUP, Inc., a community-based organization in Tampa, FL. Tune in to this episode to garner a new take on how “it takes a village” to equitably bring life into the world. And if you haven’t heard what makes a doula, listen to the part 1 of this episode where we talk to Marna Armstead from San Francisco.  

Guest Speaker:  Ankita Patel, Doula Program Manager at REACHUP, Inc. in Tampa, Florida 

Cohost: Giannina Ong, Program Manager for Reproductive and Maternal Health at AMCHP 

BirthWork episodes can be found on our website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon music. 

Why tune in to BirthWork? 

BirthWork celebrates the ongoing achievements of communities, professionals, practitioners, and families to create safer and more equitable birthing experiences. Our first season features grantees from the Safer Childbirth Cities Initiative who are working towards improving maternal health outcomes by meeting the dynamic needs of their community. Through BirthWork, AMCHP hopes to amplify stories of those working to support perinatal health and create space for those with lived experiences.  

Who should listen to BirthWork? 

BirthWork is tailored to those wanting to learn more about birth justice and efforts led by community-based organizations to create safer spaces for birthing people. Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) & Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) leaders, state and jurisdictional health department staff, individuals with lived experience and their families, MCH faculty and students, public health professionals, and others wanting to transform perinatal health through supporting MCH populations and equitable systems of care should tune in to the BirthWork podcast.

Recent AMCHP Announcements

Voices of AMCHP

Janis Gonzales, MD, MPH, FAAP – Region VI Director (2022-2025)

As part of our Voices of AMCHP series, designed to highlight our dedicated Board members and their work, we invited Dr. Gonzales to share some insights on her background, journey serving on AMCHP’s Board of Directors, and her advice for established maternal and child health (MCH) professionals to foster meaningful partnerships.

What motivated you to join AMCHP’s Board of Directors?

I have always admired AMCHP for its mission and the work they do to support MCH programs and families nationwide, especially families with children with special needs. As a mother of a child with special needs myself, that resonated deeply with me. After being Title V Director in New Mexico (NM) for several years, I wanted to contribute in a larger way by serving on the AMCHP Board. I was also excited about the AMCHP role after talking to past Board members who loved their experience on the Board and the relationships they built. Joining the AMCHP Board seemed like a natural next step in my progression of MCH work.

How do your background and experience contribute to your role as a Regional Director of AMCHP’s Board of Directors?

I believe I bring a unique combination of education and lived experience to this role, which allows me to relate to all the various aspects of the MCH work. I have had three children, one with complex medical needs, and I have had to navigate the medical and insurance systems both as a parent and a physician. As a pediatrician, I am trained to look at the health of the whole child – physical, mental, relational, and spiritual health – and to view the child in the context of their family and community. As a public health professional, I understand the need to work with, not on, communities and to listen deeply to the people being impacted by the policies we create, as well as the need to develop programs that reach and serve ALL, not just the majority.

Read the full interview.

AMCHP Information & Resources

AMCHP Blog Post – Building Policy Skills for the MCH Workforce: AMCHP’s Evidence Informed Policy Initiative

Policy is one of the 12 Essential Maternal and Child (MCH) Leadership Competencies as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and yet one-third of state health agency staff members who consider “influencing policy development” as important to their work do not consider themselves to be capable of doing so. Additionally, policy is listed among primary job functions for nearly half of Title V respondents surveyed by AMCHP; however, it was also one of the top three reported training needs in terms of both critical thinking and management skills.

To address these policy workforce needs, AMCHP launched the Evidence-Informed Policy Initiative. This initiative aims to develop tools, resources, and opportunities to support the MCH workforce to develop skills and confidence to engage in the policy process. We are excited to share two key activities of the Evidence-Informed Policy Initiative: expanding the MCH Innovations Database to include evidence-informed policies and publishing the first two modules of our Policy Essential Series. [read more]

Legislation & Policy

Explore our revamped Maternal & Child Health Bill Tracker for more information about pending federal legislation to improve maternal health. Also, download AMCHP’s 2023 Federal Policy Agenda outlining where we intend to focus our advocacy work.

AMCHP Policy and Partnerships Town Halls

Thank you to those of you who joined us for AMCHP Policy and Partnerships Town Halls in 2023. You can find the full recordings of past Town Halls on our Government Affairs webpage.

Town Halls occur on the second Thursday of every month from 2-3 PM ET. We invite you to register for all future Town Halls at this link.

Opportunities & Funding

AMCHP Career Center: Connecting Talent with Opportunity

AMCHP lists the top jobs available in our industry. Access the AMCHP Career Center to search and apply for open positions or post your jobs and opportunities! Search for Jobs | Post a Job. 

The National Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Workforce Development Center Now Accepting Student Applications for Title V Internship

Now Accepting Student Applications! The National Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Workforce Development Center is currently accepting student applications for the Summer 2024 Title V MCH Internship Program. Applications will be accepted until February 2, 2024.

In summer 2024, The National Maternal and Child Health Workforce Development Center will support at least 6 teams of MCH students to participate in internships in state and territorial Title V programs.

Why should you apply to the Title V MCH Internship Program?

As a Title V MCH Intern, you will receive the following opportunities:

Work on a project focused on improving the health of women, children, and/or families.
Learn about the MCH system of care in your assigned state or territory.
Network with leaders in the field of MCH and students from other MCH Training Programs
Receive training in MCH systems, leadership, team building, equity, and mentoring.

To learn more, visit The National MCH Workforce Development Center website.

For questions, please contact Gabriella Masini (titlvemchinternship@uic.edu).

Graduate Student Epidemiology Program (GSEP) 2024 Intern/Host Site Applications Now Open!

The Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) is currently accepting Summer 2024 Graduate Student Epidemiology Program (GSEP)  student and host site applications. The student and host site application period goes from January 10, 2024, until February 21, 2024, at 11:59pm EST.

This Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Epidemiology leadership program is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration and administered by AMCHP. Read more about GSEP, student and host site eligibility, expectations, and benefits at: https://bit.ly/GSEP2024 

A few notable highlights: 

Paid, 10-week, 100% remote graduate student summer internships to develop leaders in MCH epidemiology.  
Explore projects and diverse career pathways in MCH Epidemiology. 
Work with state and local public health agencies without relocating and receive thoughtful mentorship from practicing, applied epidemiologists. 
Optional, in-person site visits with costs covered. 
Learn practical skills and expand professional networks in ways that will give interns an advantage as they enter the MCH Epidemiology workforce.

To apply, please visit: https://bit.ly/GSEP2024 

For questions, please contact Mikayla Frye (mfrye@amchp.org). 

Be a Part of AMCHP’s Replication Projects!

See a practice in AMCHP’s MCH Innovations Database that caught your eye? Interested in building partnerships with other MCH organizations while enhancing your organizational capacity? Consider participating in AMCHP’s Replication Projects for the 2024-2025 project year! Each year, AMCHP offers awards between $15,000-$25,000 for organizations to replicate an Emerging, Promising, or Best Practice from the MCH Innovations Database. You’ll receive peer coaching from a representative of the practice as well as tailored assistance from AMCHP to help you adapt the practice to your unique context and situation. 

The Replication Project offers two levels of support (capacity building or implementation) depending on your organization’s level of readiness to begin replication.   

Capacity Building focuses on growing your organization’s capacity and partnerships to help you prepare to replicate a practice. 
Implementation focuses on helping you plan for and begin adapting a practice to your setting.

Want to learn more about this opportunity?  

Visit our Innovation Hub: Replication Projects webpage and review our Readiness Checklist to get started. 

Questions?  Email us at evidence@amchp.org.  

Partner Events & Webinars

January is Birth Defects Awareness Month

AMCHP joins our National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN) and the CDC partners to raise awareness about birth defects and highlight efforts to improve the health of people living with these conditions across their lifespan. Birth defects are medically defined as structural changes that can affect almost any part of the body, such as the heart, brain, or foot, and can cause lifelong health challenges. Not all birth defects can be prevented, and they can occur in any family, regardless of race, ethnicity, health history, or economic status.

As early identification, medical care, and treatment have improved, babies and children with birth defects are living longer and healthier lives. That is why NBDPN’s 2024 Birth Defects Awareness Month (BDAM) theme is “Every Journey Matters”, highlighting that birth defects affect people in each phase of life, from prior to diagnosis, throughout childhood and adulthood. On January 17th at 2:00pm ET, NBDPN is partnering with Mother To Baby to host a BDAM podcast listening session. Register here!

Additionally, please visit the NBDPN resources and the CDC website to learn about:

Birth defect prevention before and during pregnancy
Survival and health of infants with birth defects
Educational needs and special healthcare needs for children with birth defects
Transition from pediatric to adult medical care for adolescents
Planning for pregnancy, recurrence prevention, and genetics and family history for adults with birth defects

Maternal Health Innovation podcast releases new episode, featuring AMCHP’s Mallory Cyr

In this episode, Disability Advocacy and Inclusivity in Maternal Health, Dr. Sarah Verbiest dives into a crucial conversation about disability and maternal health with Mallory Cyr, Program Manager of Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs at the Association for Maternal & Child Health Programs.

Join as they explore the broad spectrum of disability, discussing chronic illness, physical and sensory disabilities, and the need for a more inclusive approach in maternal health. Mallory shares insights on reclaiming the word “disability,” the importance of disability justice, and the intersectionality often overlooked in maternal and child health discussions.

Discover actionable steps healthcare providers and individuals can take to dismantle ableism in the healthcare system, ensuring inclusivity and support for people with disabilities in the context of maternal health.

Tune in now to the Maternal Health Innovation podcast, or listen to it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

Now Recruiting – AAP Pediatric Mental Health Care: Access and Capacity Building in Primary Care ECHO – Cohort 2

This ECHO program will focus on supporting pediatric primary care professionals (PCP) to increase their knowledge, competence, and confidence in providing behavioral and mental health care to pediatric patients and their families. The emphasis will be placed on pediatric PCPs to develop and implement effective strategies to foster long-term relational health and healthy mental development as well as identify, treat, and manage mental and behavioral health concerns in the primary care setting, with a specific focus on utilization of Pediatric Mental Health Care Access (PMHCA) programs. CME and MOC part 2 are available for eligible participants in this ECHO.  

The ECHO will launch on February 7, 2024. This 6 session ECHO will be held on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month at 12pm CT/1pm ET/11am MT/10am PT.

Register online here!

Note: Additional ECHO’s focused on Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Programs will be launched in early 2024. Details coming soon!

Contact AAP PMHCA (pmhca@aap.org) with any questions.

*This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $3,700,000 with no percentage financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the US Government.