In November 2022, AMCHP launched the Building Resilience from Lived Experience anthology, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD).  

Originally aimed at creating a toolkit for improving emergency responses for maternal and child health (MCH) populations, this project has instead become a collection of personal and professional stories highlighting the impacts of emergencies to build evidence for equitable response strategies, prompt action at all levels, and ensure others with lived experience feel seen. 

Throughout the project’s evolution, we are proud to have successfully accomplished the following: 

• Collected qualitative data from priority populations to inform project goals 
• Established a diverse national workgroup to gather resources that support MCH communities during public health emergencies 
• Elevated and prioritized experiential evidence as an effective change strategy 
• Developed storytelling methods for sharing this evidence through storytelling 
• Produced a multi-medium collection of eight (8) stories, including a podcast, uplifting lived experience of priority populations, especially those with medical complexities 
• Spotlighted these stories and their contributors at major MCH conferences and meetings 

Please join us in recognizing the incredible AMCHP staff who created and executed this project, celebrating the courageous contributors of the anthology, and thanking our generous project partners at NCBDDD and funders at the CDC.

Explore our snapshot of lessons learned throughout this journey, as well as a compilation video with highlights from the anthology contributions, recorded conference panels, and reflections from our team about the project and its significance below. 

Lessons Learned Snapshot 

Compilation Video 

View the Full “Building Resilience from Lived Experience” Series