Down Syndrome Awareness Day

At the heart of MCH are the families: the women, the infants, the children, the youth, the caregivers, the extended kin networks — those among us who are most vulnerable. Their voices bring shape and color to our work. The parents of children with special health care needs have always held special place in this heart — it is their collective voice that is often the heartbeat that reminds us why we do what we do – and why it matters. They are often the lighthouse guiding us through the storm – providing direction, information, guidance when we need it most. Today – March 21 – is Down Syndrome Awareness Day — and I wanted to share one voice with you that does just that.

Kelle Hampton is a Florida mom, photographer, and blogger who shares her life (and insight) – as the mama of a little girl with an extra chromosome – with thousands and thousands around the world. To read her thoughts on this 2011 World Down Syndrome Awareness Day (or any other day!) visit her online at:  http://www.kellehampton.com/2011/03/321.html

Kelle Hampton

Photo by Kelle Hampton, all rights reserved

Guest post: reflections on AMCHP from MCH student Annie Fedorowicz

I have been told many times by people working outside the field of public health that my MPH degree in maternal and child health will only be useful as a supplemental degree for my future career. Explaining that I wish to be a public health practitioner is too abstract for people to grasp:

“Public health, so you want to be a doctor or a nurse?”
“No, I do not want to be involved in delivery direct medical services.”
“Oh, so you will be a social worker like your mom, then?”
“Not exactly, I want to work specifically with organizations that create and promote evidence-based health interventions, implemented at a population level to ultimately improve the health of underserved communities.”

And that is about where I lose them. So what exactly sets a public health practitioner apart from other social services and medical professionals? I know there is a lot of interdisciplinary overlap, as well as uniquely different theoretical approaches across disciplines. However, rarely have I heard someone specifically introduced as a MCH public health practitioner. So where do MCH students end up after receiving their MPH degree?

The AMCHP 2011 conference answered this seemingly trivial question. A diverse group of professionals that have dedicated their careers to augmenting the health of women and their families truly exists. Many conference attendees did hold other degrees and were actively practicing in the healthcare and social work fields, but many identified themselves as working specifically within the field of MCH. From policy to research, to community-based non-profits and government health agencies, I was inundated with a vast array of exciting careers within the MCH field.

Health communication with the integration of the Life Course Theory was a primary theme of AMCHP this year. Through a common MCH language, such as Life Course Theory, as well as knowledge of key theoretical public health concepts, this diverse group of professionals was able to effectively communicate key public health concerns for MCH populations. Through simply being exposed to the wealth of MCH expertise, I became more confident in communicating and understanding my future career as an MCH practitioner. While being trained for a professional career establishes an understanding of key infrastructures and theories that inform the public health field, exposure to professionals working in the field translates MCH theory into practice.

Andy Goodman, a Communications Consultant at The Goodman Center, was a presenter that discussed the importance of infusing storytelling to effectively communicate public health programs. While it is important for public health organizations to communicate the mission, goals and objectives of their programs, all too often complex programmatic language does not effectively market programs to stakeholders and target populations. Thus, the power of using narrative to support the mission and goals of an organization will have a lasting impact on stakeholders and decision makers that invest and participate in the program.

Andy Goodman suggested that every public health organization should collect a series of stories that:
1. Examine the nature of the public health challenge that the organization addresses
2. Explains the creation of the organization
3. Highlight emblematic success stories of the organization working with the community
4. Highlight the unique skills and performance qualities of the staff
5. Address organizational pitfalls (for internal use with the staff)
6. Identify the future goals and aspirations of the organization

These collected stories (except for #5) should be made available to the public and key stakeholders as examples that legitimize the need for the organizations within the community, as well as highlight the successes and community support for the program.

This presentation reinforced the importance of translating public health policies, research and best-practice models into a common language that evokes a powerful sense of human empathy. In truth, it is stories from communities that are basis of identifying health concerns that become the focus of public health research and program design. When asked “What is a MCH public health professionals?”, I will remember the diverse group of professionals I met and listened to at AMCHP 2011. And well I may not remember every minute detail of their research or their organization’s programmatic work plan, I will remember their stories. They were stories of MCH professionals’ career paths, of obstacles their organization’s faced in light of funding shortages and health-negating policies, and most importantly, they were stories of the women and families that their programs served everyday.

Annie Fedorowitz is an MPH graduate student in Maternal and Child Health at the University of Minnesota.  She expects to complete her degree in May 2012.

Guest post: Ellen Gormican on AMCHP and graduation

Guest blogger: Ellen Gormican

My experiences at the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) annual conference in Washington D.C. have compelled me to confront some of the many dualities that I feel are particular to a student’s perspective in the world of Public Health. On the one hand, I have spent almost two years developing skills and building knowledge and key competencies in Public Health, yet as a student I continue to doubt my own knowledge. After attending AMCHP I am obliged to acknowledge my impending graduation and entrance into the professional world – an adjustment that, while frightening, appears more exciting and hopeful after participating in the 2011 AMCHP conference. As a student I am frequently asked to critique research, programs, methods, frameworks etc. because it is from this foundation of critical thinking that many Public Health competencies originate. I found that workshops at AMCHP provided the opportunity to hear perspectives from professionals presently knee-deep in the trenches. Whether focused on adolescent health, infant mortality or children with special health care needs, the AMCHP attendees shared a common passion and devotion to fighting for all that is maternal (and paternal) and child health. This atmosphere reminded me that in a few short months I will be considered a similar “professional” and that it might be time to shift my outlook from that of a student to that of a Public Health Change Agent.

The first pre-conference session I attended at AMCHP was an incredible way to start the conference. The session: What’s the REAL DEAL about the Role of Gender Norms in Teen Relationships? challenged me to consider how I conceptualize masculinity and gender roles and reminded me that my personal beliefs and values influence how I approach my professional responsibilities and shape my understanding of the social conditions in which our programs are designed and implemented. Continuing to question my own attitudes can only help to further my personal and professional development. The first step towards confronting assumptions and judgments is the admission that they exist within all of us.

I am fascinated with the study of human behavior – why we make certain choices or engage in particular behaviors – and I feel this topic to be central to good public health practice. While attending an extended session on preconception health the group explored how to access cognition and effectively “sell” a health message. As public health trainees (and enthusiasts) we review the data and the research and wonder how and why we are still debating many issues that, to us, seem – well – obvious. But in public health we try to paint a broader picture and our success lies in the art of merging disciplines to compel behavior change. The preconception health session encouraged us to consider product marketing as a persuasive too to be used to sell public health concepts, ideas, recommendations, etc to a broader (or sometimes narrower) audience. It is ironic that those of us in the health field could actually learn something from a company like McDonald’s.  In that session professionals from all over the U.S. shared their own successes and failures toward these ends.

Finally, another AMCHP session that aligned with my professional goals was a workshop on child and adolescent mental health. I am passionate about promoting mental health and wellbeing for our MCH populations and for improving access for services and reducing the stigma surrounding mental health conditions.  I feel that this is an area where a high need has been identified, but where there is little financial support. In spite of this, the professionals in the session spoke of their dedication to the field and the creative measures they use to promote mental wellbeing and to address the mental health assessment, education, service,  and treatment needs of their community. Many states face similar challenges in providing preventative mental health services I found the experience of connecting with others over the shared challenges and the creative solutions that MCH professionals have found across the country to be inspiring. The solidarity of professionals in the room filled me with a sense of hope for the future – both my future as a graduate and the future of the field for which I feel most passionate.

Although I was exposed to many new and fascinating programs, data and intervention strategies, what AMCHP gave me that was most unexpected was a powerful reminder of why I was drawn to the public health field and encouragement to believe in my personal capacity to be a contributing (and competent!) member of this legion of MCH professionals.  I attended the 2011 AMCHP conference as a mere student, but my experiences while there has let me to realize that soon I will no longer be able to fall back on the “student” defense when challenged with any of the many issues facing our Title V MCH colleagues across the country.  It’s my responsibility to march bravely forward:  I must never stop learning, never stop exposing myself to new ideas and never stop believing in my own ability to be successful in the professional world.

Ellen Gormican is an MPH graduate student in Maternal and Child Health at the University of Minnesota.  She expects to complete her degree in May 2011.

Ehlinger: event at the U

The Minnesota Public Health Association is sponsoring a meet-and-greet with the new Minnesota Commissioner of Health, Dr. Ed Ehlinger.

When: Thurs, March 31, 5-7 pm. Program will begin at 5:45pm
Where: McNamera Alumni Center, Memorial Hall, University of MN (200 Oak St. SE, Mpls, Mn 55455)

Refreshments will be provided, and there’s a suggested donation at the door:
$10 for MPHA members/SPH Alumni
$15 for non-members
$5 for students

You can RSVP online by visiting www.sph.umn.edu/reg/mpha

See you there!

From the Lancet: estimated incidence of HPV among men

As several news sources are now reporting, results from a cohort study funded by the National Cancer Institute note that 50% of a recent study’s participants tested positively for HPV at enrollment.

Okay, that’s not quite what they’re saying. But they aren’t epidemiologists, are they?

The cohort study, conducted by researchers at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, gathered biomedical evidence from 1159 men (aged 18 to 70) living in Brazil, Mexico, and the United States.  I’m not quite sure how they sampled this population — the Lancet article is so fresh-off-the-press (3/1/2011) that I can only access the abstract — but it does suggest a convenience sample, “recruited from the general population, universities, and organised health-care systems” and otherwise healthy.

Researchers assessed this cohort’s health every six months for multiple years, and found an incidence rate of 38.4 per 1,000 person months (CI between 34.3 and 43). Their research also describes risk factors we’ve seen before: HPV was associated with both higher number of lifetime female sexual partners and anal sex with male partners.

If these numbers are an accurate reflection of HPV at the population level — and they probably are –  well, even more reason to have your children (female and male) vaccinated. When will the American Cancer Society, ACOG, and the ACIP update their recommendations accordingly?