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SLU Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Education, Science and Practice

A group of approximately 20 students, faculty and staff interested in maternal child health stand, posing in front of a white board in a classroom.

The 老司机福利网 Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Education, Science and Practice engages in academic-practice partnerships to provide maternal and child health scholars with exceptional academic, research, leadership and practical training.

We are proud to be one of 13 Centers of Excellence funded by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau and the only one in Region 7, which includes Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa.

We cannot begin to talk about maternal and child health and women and children without talking about and addressing social justice and the racial inequalities and inequities that exist in and throughout our society. The SLU MCH program holds a special place in my heart because that is exactly what we did.鈥�

Jade Conway, M.P.H. 鈥�20

Our Mission

The overall mission of the 老司机福利网 Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Education, Science and Practice is to strengthen and diversify the maternal and child health public health workforce in Region 7, and in turn, improve the health status of women, children and families in the region and the United States.

Our Goals

  • Increase the recruitment and retention of diverse students into 老司机福利网's Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) maternal and child health concentration, and provide scholarships and resources to support these students.
  • Enhance SLU's maternal and child health program by infusing the curriculum with racial and social justice values and implementing an interdisciplinary certification in maternal and child health.
  • Identify and enhance cross-disciplinary internship training throughout Region 7.
  • Expand a maternal and child health advisory board of faculty and regional maternal and child health professionals and engage in innovative academic-practice partnerships.
  • Provide continuing education, technical assistance, and leadership skills to existing maternal and child health professionals throughout Region 7.
Maternal and Child Health Education, Science and Practice Leadership Team
  • Professor, Epidemiology, 老司机福利网
  • Department Chair, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, 老司机福利网
  • Program Director
  • Associate Professor, Social Work, 老司机福利网
  • Associate Program Director

Sabel Bass, M.P.H.

  • Program Manager
Advisory Board

  • Executive Director, CityMatCH, Omaha, Nebraska

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Asignee to the State of Nebraska

  •  Director, Community Mobilization and Advocacy, Generate Health, St. Louis, Missouri

  • Adjunct Assistant Professor, Public Health, 老司机福利网
  • Women鈥檚 Health Integration Specialist, SSM Health St. Mary鈥檚 Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri

  • Director, Title V Maternal and Child Health, Iowa Department of Public Health

  • Director, Title V Maternal and Child Health, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services

  •  Director, Title V Maternal Child Health, & Public Health Nursing Coordinator, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

  • Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis

  • Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship at Loyola University Chicago
 Faculty Affiliates
  • Annie Garner, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, Clinical Program
    Department of Psychology
    MCH Interests: Parenting, ADHD, Driving Safety
  • Denise C么t茅-Arsenault, Ph.D., RN, FFAN
    Hemak Endowed Professor of Maternal Child Nursing Research Institute Fellow
    College of Nursing
    MCH Interests: Pregnancy, Lactation, Pregnancy loss/infant death, Mental health for bereaved parents
  • Dixie Meyer, Ph.D.
    Professor
    Family and Community Medicine
    MCH Interests: Parent/child relationships, Perinatal mood disorders, Family
  • Ellen Barnidge, Ph.D., M.P.H.
    Associate Professor
    Department of Behavioral Science and Health Education
    Interim Dean
    College for Public Health and Social Justice
    MCH Interests: Childhood food insecurity
  • Enbal Shacham, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.P.E.
    Professor
    Behavioral Science and Health Education
    Faculty Co-Lead, Geospatial Institute at 老司机福利网
    MCH Interests: Spatial and behavioral epidemiology
  • Jennifer Bello-Kottenstette, M.D., M.S.
    Assistant Professor
    Family and Community Medicine
    MCH Interests: Reproductive wellness of women with substance use disorders; Health of women, children, and their families
  • Justin Josephsen, M.A., M.D.
    Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
    MCH Interests: Neonatology, Quality Improvement across regions, Newborn resuscitation, Healthcare inequities
  • Kara Christopher, Ph.D., M.S., M.P.H.
    Department of Neurology
    MCH Interests: Perinatal complications after metabolic or weight loss surgery (WLS);Stroke risk in women of reproductive age and during the perinatal period; impact of mental health on stroke and stroke risk, Health inequities, Systemic racism
  • Lauren D. Arnold, Ph.D., M.P.H., CPH
    Associate Professor; Epidemiology
    Director
    Biostatistics, Health Management and Public Health undergraduate programs
    MCH Interests: HPV vaccination, cervical cancer prevention, oral health/cancer, cancer disparities, COVID-19
  • Lauren Landfried, Ph.D., RD, LD, FAND
    Director, Didactic Program
    Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
    MCH Interests: Maternal and child nutrition, Access
  • Margaret Rozier Chen, MD, FAAP
    Department of Pediatrics, SLU School of Medicine
    MCH Interests: Newborn medical care, PMADs, Breastfeeding medicine, Breastfeeding education and support in minority and low-income communities
  • Michael Vaughn, Ph.D.
    Director, Ph.D. Program
    School of Social Work
    MCH Interests: Early development of antisocial behavior and interventions that modify its course
  • Maria J. Romo-Palafox, Ph.D., RDN, LD
    Assistant Professor
    Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
    MCH Interests: Social, cultural, and environmental determinants of maternal-child dietary patterns; Establishing healthy dietary habits as a cost-effective public health strategy to prevent chronic diseases via culturally tailored interventions, policy, and environmental change
  • Niraj Chavan, M.D., M.P.H., M.S.M.S.
    Associate Professor, Medical Director, WISH Clinic
    Assistant Director, MFM Fellowship Program
    Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
    MCH Interests: Substance use in pregnancy, Health disparities, Perinatal health equity, Maternal morbidity and mortality, Implementation science, Preterm birth prevention
  • Oluwatoyosi (Olu) Owoeye, Ph.D., M.S., B.P.T.
    Assistant Professor
    Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training
    MCH Interests: Injury prevention in youth sports, Implementation science
  • Pamela Xaverius, Ph.D., M.B.A.
    Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship at Loyola University Chicago
    MCH Interests: Preconception health, Prenatal care, Birth outcomes, Health equity
  • Stephen Edward McMillin, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor; Social Work
    Associate Professor of Epidemiology
    School of Social Work
    MCH Interests: Impacts of climate change and air pollution in MCH populations, Promoting 0-3 early childhood development, Child welfare and protection, ACEs, family stability
  • Yi Li, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor
    Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
    MCH Interests: The effects of maternal chronic conditions on child health via epigenetic modifications
  • Zhengmin Qian, M.D., Ph.D.
    Professor
    Department Chair
    Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
    MCH Interests: Preterm birth, Low birth weight, infant mortality, Pregnancy hypertension, Sleep disorders and mental health in women,  Health disparities

Activities and Resources

The 老司机福利网 Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Education, Science and Practice provides maternal and child health scholars financial, academic, research, mentoring, and experiential support to enhance their personal and professional growth and equip them with the necessary skills to improve the health of women, children, and families in our region.

Through the 老司机福利网 Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Education, Science and Practice, maternal and child health scholars pursue their M.P.H. with a concentration in maternal child health are paired with one of our internationally renowned faculty mentors to work on maternal and child health-related research projects, and receive practicum training with stipends focused on work for agencies in Region 7.

The 老司机福利网 Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Education also offers an interdisciplinary maternal child health certificate, which includes core courses that could be counted towards an M.P.H. degree, as well as numerous additional continuing education opportunities, including a yearly webinar, symposium, and seminars related to the maternal child health field.

The following links provide additional learning resources for scholars to further enrich their education and training:

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Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (MO DHSS) Resource:

Maternal Child Health (MCH) Title V Resources