The University of Iowa College of Public Health has received funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to continue to expand and strengthen its maternal and child health curriculum. The award, called the Maternal and Child Health Public Health Catalyst Program, will provide $135,000 each year for five years.

Because poor maternal and child health outcomes continue to increase in Iowa, there is a growing and urgent need for a well-trained maternal and child (MCH) workforce. The award will be used to build on the college’s MCH Training Program established in 2020 with a previous cycle of HRSA funding. Led by William Story, associate professor of community and behavioral health, the program’s goals for the next five years are to:

• recruit and train a diverse student body with an interest in MCH;
• expand course offerings and create an MCH certificate focused on developing MCH leadership competencies and providing experiential learning opportunities;
• continue to engage students interested in MCH by growing the MCH Student Interest Group;
• provide faculty development opportunities for early- and mid-career faculty; and
• enhance partnerships with state and local public health, Title V agencies, and community partners, with attention to organizations serving rural communities.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to support our students through this new training grant,” Story says. “Whether it’s through our popular MCH scholars program, our new MCH certificate, or our vibrant MCH Student Interest Group, students who come to the University of Iowa to study MCH will leave with the knowledge and skills to make a difference in the lives of children and their families in Iowa and across the Midwest.”  

Other core faculty members involved with the program include Nichole Nidey and Jonathan Platt, assistant professors of epidemiology.