ATLANTA, GA – The Maternal & Child Health (MCH) branch of the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) awarded the Center for Leadership in Disability (CLD) within Georgia State University’s School of Public Health (GSU SPH) nearly $450,000 over the next five years to establish an MCH Graduate Certificate Program through Track 2 of its MCH Public Health Catalyst program.
This grant will allow CLD to provide an increased focus on fundamental MCH content and competencies and provide MCH content exposure to an increased number of public health students, introducing students to careers in the MCH field. Catalyst funding will support the development of a sustainable, interdisciplinary MCH curriculum and infrastructure to prepare a workforce that is racially and ethnically representative of Georgia's MCH population. The GSU MCH Certificate courses will be embedded into MPH concentrations allowing students to concurrently earn the certificate while completing their degrees, saving time and tuition costs.
Georgia has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation with the rate for black, non-Hispanic women three times higher than that of white, non-Hispanic women. Disparities by race, socio-economic status, and disability are often exacerbated by a workforce that does not represent the diversity of the population it serves. Dr. Emily Graybill, Clinical Associate Professor, principal investigator on the MCH Catalyst grant, and the Director of the MCH Certificate program notes that, “The GSU MCH Certificate program will help ensure that the public health workforce is prepared to use data to inform public health interventions that are rooted in social justice and health equity.”
Find out more information about the MCH Catalyst Graduate Certificate Program.