August 27, 2026

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August 27, 2026

AMCHP Announcements

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Last Call! Apply to Participate or Mentor for AMCHP’s Leadership Lab by August 28

AMCHP is seeking participants and mentors for our 2026-2027 Leadership Lab cohort, and the deadline to apply is fast approaching!

Leadership Lab is a unique opportunity for those affiliated or working with jurisdictional Title V programs (staff, consultants, volunteers) to accelerate their professional development in a way that is framed by the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Leadership Competencies and guided by adult learning principles. AMCHP believes that achieving our vision of a skilled and flexible workforce starts with investing in the leadership journeys of individuals serving in many different roles and settings.

One of the core components of the program is that participants are matched with a mentor who can share what it means to lead with intention and compassion.  Mentors offer their expertise, wisdom, and support across program activities. Mentors work with AMCHP staff members to help plan and facilitate sessions, make time to connect with their matched mentees, and support the development and implementation of their individualized leadership development plans. 

Leadership Lab is one of the primary ways that AMCHP supports professional and career development for individuals working in or in close relationship with jurisdictional Title V programs. Comprised of five (5) unique cohorts that run concurrently from October 2026 through May 2027, Leadership Lab exposes participants to information and resources that are relevant for their current and future roles; encourages the development and continuous revision of individualized leadership plans; challenges participants through collaborative activities and thoughtful discussions; cultivates a peer learning and accountability network; and provides participants with ongoing support from a matched mentor and AMCHP staff.

The current cohorts include:

New Director Leaders Cohort (NDLC) – for new jurisdictional MCH/CYSHCN Directors 
Management Accelerator Cohort (MAC) – for state/jurisdictional Title V staff at any point in their career arc who manage programs or domain-specific portfolios.
Family Leaders Cohort (FLC) – for family members of a child or youth served by a Title V program and who has demonstrated some degree of community leadership 
MCH Epi Peer-to-Peer Cohort (MCH Epi P2P) – for epidemiologists and data specialists working in or in partnership with a jurisdictional Title V program 
Adolescent Health Leaders Cohort (AHLC) – for Adolescent Health Coordinators and other professionals seeking to build capacity to address adolescent health priorities

Are you or someone on your staff looking for a great professional development opportunity?  Want to share your passion for MCH with others? Check out the Leadership Lab page of our website for more information – including a description of core program components and application links for both participants and mentors. The deadline to apply is Friday, August 28, and decisions will be communicated to applicants by Monday, September 14.

Submit to AMCHP’s MCH Innovations Database by September 16

AMCHP invites you to submit your work to the MCH Innovations Database ahead of our Fall 2026 Review! This is your opportunity to showcase your practices, policies, or tools that are advancing MCH and strengthening communities.

Deadline for Fall 2026 Review: Submit by Wednesday, September 16, to be included in this review cycle. Submissions on or after September 17 will be rolled over to be considered in Spring 2027. All application materials, including submission forms for each practice or policy designation, are currently available on AMCHP’s Innovation Hub webpage.

AMCHP also invites community-based organizations to submit their practices to the Hub, regardless of whether the practice has been evaluated by experimental or “traditional” methods. We believe in the power of community- and practice-defined evidence and promote its use in MCH practice.

Submissions to the database are assessed along a practice continuum and, if accepted, receive a designation of Cutting-Edge, Emerging, Promising, or Best Practice, depending on the practice’s demonstrated impact among other criteria. The Innovation Hub has also expanded to include tools and policies; Policies have their own criteria to sort them into the appropriate designation including Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. Tools and policies are accepted on a rolling basis and can be submitted at any point.

How to Submit a Practice? Access the practice submission forms on our webpage and learn more about how you can submit your practice for review! All submissions must be sent to evidence@amchp.org by September 16 to be considered for Fall review, but are still accepted on a rolling basis. 

Not sure which designation to submit to? Check out our Minimum Criteria Checklist  to figure out which designation is right for your practice.

How to Submit a Policy? Access the policy submission forms on our webpage and learn more about how you can submit your policy for review! All submissions should be sent to evidence@amchp.org by September 16 to be considered for Fall review, but are still accepted on a rolling basis.

Not sure which designation to submit to? Email us at evidence@amchp.org.

Refer a Practice or Policy: Don’t have anything to submit but know of one that would be a great fit for the MCH Innovations Database? Refer a practice/policy to the database on our website, and we’ll reach out to them.

Need Help? Our team is here to support you! Email evidence@amchp.org with any questions about submission categories, requirements, evidence, or whether your evaluation data would be appropriate for the database.

Call for Proposals for AMCHP 2027 Open Until September 30

Get ready to present at AMCHP 2027! The Call for Proposals for the 2027 AMCHP Annual Conference (AMCHP 2027) is open until September 30. AMCHP 2027, one of the largest gatherings of maternal and child health leaders and thinkers in the U.S., will take place in person in Washington, DC, from March 6 – 9, 2027.

Each year, the AMCHP conference attracts over 1,000 participants from across the country. For AMCHP 2027, presenters will have the opportunity to showcase their work on a prominent stage through various session formats, including Workshops, Lightning Talks, Student and Early Career Professional Grand Rounds, and Discussions. These sessions will focus on the latest developments in maternal and child health, aligned with our 2027 theme: “Recharge, Reimagine, and Rise.“

For more information, please visit the call for proposals website.

AMCHP Events & Webinars

Webinar: Building Meaningful Partnerships with People Impacted by Perinatal Substance Use

How can we meaningfully engage and support people impacted by perinatal substance use as partners, collaborators, and professionals? Join AMCHP on September 30, from 1 – 2:30 PM ET, for an interactive webinar exploring important considerations for working and collaborating with people impacted by perinatal substance use. Presenters will share information and strategies for engaging and supporting people in these roles, drawing on their own personal and professional experiences.

The session will begin with lightning presentations from all four presenters, followed by active, topic-focused breakout rooms led by each presenter. Given the sensitive nature of the topics discussed, this webinar will NOT be recorded. Attendees should come prepared to actively engage with the presenters and one another.

By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to:

Describe key considerations for identifying and engaging people impacted by perinatal substance use as partners, collaborators, and professionals.
Identify at least two approaches for fostering meaningful interpersonal support in professional settings for people impacted by perinatal substance use.
Explain at least two organizational processes or policies that foster supportive, sustainable workforce integration of people impacted by perinatal substance use.

Featured Speakers

Meghann Perry, CARC RCPF — Educator and Thought Leader, Meghann Perry Group
Lucy Battles, CADC-R, RCP-F — UNC Horizons, Lead Justice-Involved Peer Navigator & Evaluation Assistant; MoMMAs Voices, Patient Family Partner
Cheri Bryer, CLC, CRSW, CHW — Perinatal /Postpartum Doula, Senior Perinatal Peer Support Educator/Coordinator NHPQC, Dartmouth Health, Lebanon, N.H.
Dora Dantzler-Wright, BS, CADC, NCRS, CPRS, RCT — Founder, CEO & Executive Director, Chicago Recovering Communities Coalition

Space is limited, so register now! Registration will close once capacity is reached. Because this is an interactive, live-only session, please register only if you plan to attend.

AMCHP Information & Resources

Introducing AMCHP’s Revamped Roadmap for Early Childhood Collaboration

Alignment across early childhood programs doesn’t happen automatically. It requires intentional action. This was the idea behind AMCHP’s Roadmap for Early Childhood Collaboration, first released in 2020 and updated in 2023. We are now excited to share a newly revamped, interactive edition: Aligning Early Childhood Systems: Ten Recommendations and a Roadmap for Action. This resource is designed to support states in strengthening how the Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services Block Grant, Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV), Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS), and Healthy Start programs work together in practice.

The revamped resource reflects lessons learned from putting the Roadmap into practice with six states and includes updated program priorities and measures. The resource is organized into three parts: a brief primer on the opportunity for alignment, ten recommendations that describe key conditions and approaches for stronger alignment, and a practical Roadmap Tool that offers step-by-step guidance to help you assess current efforts and take concrete next steps. It also features a new table showing how shared and individual measures across Title V, MIECHV, ECCS, and Healthy Start programs align with Title V’s National Outcome Measures.

Although built with Title V, ECCS, MIECHV, and Healthy Start programs in mind, this resource is designed for anyone working in early childhood programs who wants to improve systems of care and outcomes for families and young children. Whether your state has an established cross-program collaborative or is just getting started, you can use this resource to:

Understand common challenges and opportunities for alignment
Self-assess current approaches to coordination and alignment
Identify and implement strategies to strengthen alignment toward shared early childhood outcomes

The Roadmap Tool walks you through six steps for establishing or strengthening a core collaboration team, starting with scanning for existing coordinating bodies and strategic plans and ending with institutionalizing the collaboration. Each step includes the purpose and rationale, activities to complete, and outputs to document.

Learn more and access the full resource on our website.

Legislation & Policy

Explore our Maternal & Child Health Bill Tracker for more information about pending federal legislation to improve maternal health. Additionally, download AMCHP’s Federal Policy Agenda, which outlines our current advocacy focus.

Subscribe to AMCHP’s Policy Alerts and Digest to stay up to date with the latest policy information.

AMCHP Policy and Partnerships Town Halls

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

We will not have a Town Hall in August, but please register to join us for our next edition on September 10, from 2-3 PM ET at this registration link.

Opportunities & Funding

AMCHP Career Opportunities

Be part of our team! AMCHP is seeking individuals for the role listed below. AMCHP offers a 100% virtual work/telework environment for all positions.

Intern, Policy Team: AMCHP is recruiting a policy team intern for the Fall of 2026. This is a paid part-time position that requires a minimum of 15 hours per week. AMCHP’s internship program is open to currently enrolled students in undergraduate and graduate programs. Individuals who have recently graduated are also eligible. Candidates located in or near the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area, and with experience in Congressional affairs are preferred. [Learn more and apply]

Apply for the 2027 Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health MCH Program Evaluation Practicum by September 11

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) Program Evaluation Practicum is a unique learning and experiential opportunity for Maternal and Child Health (MCH) public health programs and students. The Practicum offers state, tribal, local, and other health organization MCH programs the chance to:

Receive a comprehensive, ready‑to‑use evaluation plan tailored to your MCH program, developed by students with input from your team and instructors.
Build your team’s evaluation skills through participation in lessons.
Strengthen your program’s ability to demonstrate impact and areas for growth.

HSPH will offer this Winter Session course in January 2027. Staff from selected programs and students will participate in a three-day virtual program evaluation training at the host site (i.e., your state/local/tribal health department or program) (January 6—8, 2027) followed by a week where students meet with health department or organization staff to learn details of the program to be evaluated and begin development of the evaluation plan (January 11—15, 2027).

Learn more and email the completed proposal form to Olivia Hiller (osmith@hsph.hardvard.edu) by September 11.

Free Resource for Job Seekers – The AMCHP Career Center: Connecting Talent with Opportunity

AMCHP offers access to top job opportunities in our industry. Job seekers can access the AMCHP Career Center to search and apply for open positions at no cost, while employers can post their jobs for a fee! Search for Jobs | Post a Job.

Do you know someone who is looking for a new job or opportunity? Share the AMCHP Career Center with them!

Partner Events & Webinars

MLSN Briefing: Innovative State Medicaid Financing Strategies for Perinatal Care

Join the Milbank State Leadership Network (MLSN) and the Center for Health Care Strategies on Tuesday, September 1, from 12:00-1:15 PM ET, for a virtual briefing on how states are using innovative state Medicaid financing strategies to support perinatal care.

Value-based payment and alternative financing models are increasingly being used by states to improve maternal and infant outcomes. Some states are also using innovative Medicaid financing to support rural hospitals and their obstetrics units.

This session will feature TennCare’s Rural Health Transformation Program-funded perinatal care model, Ohio’s Comprehensive Maternal Care program, and Wyoming’s early-stage work to support maintaining and reopening labor and delivery services in its critical access hospitals.

Moderator: Karla Silverman, MPA, MS, RN, CNM, Associate Director, Women’s Health and Clinical Innovation, Center for Health Care Strategies

Panelists:

Jona Bandyopadhyay, MD, MPH, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, TennCare
Franz Fuchs, Deputy Director & Medicaid Director, Wyoming Department of Health
Mylynda Drake, MPH, Maternal, Child, and Family Wellness Section Chief, Office of Strategic Initiatives, Ohio Department of Medicaid

Register now!