Assuring that the maternal and child health (MCH) workforce is highly skilled and trained in the unique needs of MCH populations is a shared goal of the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) and state programs that receive federal Title V funding. To achieve this goal, MCHB supports a portfolio of workforce development programs that train current and future leaders in MCH, and provides them with the tools and resources needed to improve the health and well-being of the nation’s women, children and families.

MCHB’s continuum of workforce development investments aims to develop MCH leaders at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate levels in the areas of public health, clinical practice, MCH teaching, research, and administration and policymaking. MCHB also supports programs focused on continuing education and professional development to address the ongoing training needs of practicing MCH professionals.

Through their Title V programs, many state MCH staff have connected with MCHB workforce development resources, such as seeking online training through the MCH Navigator, participating in a state cohort with the MCH Workforce Development Center to address a complex public health issue, or hosting students in a Title V program through the MCH summer internship program. In addition, many MCH staff have graduated from an MCH training program, or partnered with an MCHB-funded training program on a technical assistance need.

Opportunities for MCH Staff and Leaders

Did you know that MCHB supports eight interdisciplinary training programs in undergraduate and graduate education in maternal and child health? Not only do these programs train over 36,000 health and public health professionals annually, they also partner with state Title V programs.  Common hallmarks of MCHB’s workforce development programs are:

• training for MCH leadership
• grounding in interdisciplinary practice and team-based care
• developing a workforce trained to work with diverse populations, and that is reflective of the populations that we serve
• promoting family leadership, and
• providing technical assistance to Title V and other MCH agencies.

There are numerous ways o benefit from the range of MCHB’s workforce development programs. Do you need consultation on MCH evaluation, data analysis, or stakeholder engagement? Are you looking for training for staff on topics such as evidence-based screening tools for autism spectrum disorder or emerging issues in adolescent health? Would it be helpful to have graduate student summer interns contribute to short-term projects or long-term initiatives like needs assessment? Do you need to sharpen your skills in adaptive leadership to manage a new public health challenge in your state? Maybe you are looking for an academic partner in the design and evaluation of a new program.

If so, consider connecting with MCHB’s workforce development programs. See the text box below and visit MCHB’s Division of MCH Workforce Development to learn more about these programs and to identify resources in your state or region.

MCHB’s workforce development and training resources are available to you. Let us know how we can connect you to academic partners in your state or region. Working together, we can continue to develop current and future leaders in MCH who are poised to improve the health of women, children and families in the United States.

MCHB Workforce Development Programs