Michigan Public Health awarded $1.8 million to address gaps in maternal and child health workforce

The University of Michigan School of Public Health has been selected as one of 13 Centers of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Education, Science, and Practice by the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau. The five-year, $1.8 million award will establish the Center of Excellence for Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health at Michigan Public Health to address critical gaps in the maternal and child health workforce.

This award recognizes our school's longstanding commitment to tackling the urgent public health challenges facing mothers, children, and families. We're excited to create new pathways for students to become leaders in maternal and child health and to strengthen partnerships with community and government health organizations supporting maternal and child health."

Kendrin Sonneville, associate professor of Nutritional Sciences and the project's principal investigator

The United States faces significant maternal and child health challenges, including the highest maternal mortality rate among developed nations. These disparities disproportionately affect Black and American Indian/Alaska Native women as well as women living in rural areas. In Michigan specifically, pressing maternal and child health challenges include high rates of cesarean deliveries among low-risk first-time mothers, persistent racial disparities in preventive dental care during pregnancy, and concerning rates of sleep-related infant deaths among Black infants.

The new Center of Excellence will tackle these and other challenges by addressing maternal and child health workforce development gaps, increasing academic-practice partnerships and developing a comprehensive evaluation and dissemination strategy to enhance the impact of these efforts.

Providing interdisciplinary training in maternal and child health

Starting this fall, the school will launch a comprehensive, school-wide Certificate in Maternal Child Health-the first of its kind at Michigan Public Health. This interdisciplinary program will train graduate students across the school's six academic departments in specialized maternal and child health competencies aligned with national leadership standards.

The certificate program, which aims to enroll at least 25 students annually, will combine rigorous academic coursework with hands-on experience through partnerships with community health and local government organizations. 

All trainees will complete a maternal and child health-focused practice or research experience, including internships with public health agencies, research projects addressing maternal and child health challenges, and community service activities. These opportunities will be supported through partnerships with organizations like the Washtenaw County Health Department and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The Center of Excellence will provide comprehensive support to ensure student success, including targeted funding for students with financial need and those from underrepresented backgrounds. Support mechanisms will include internship stipends, PhD funding for dissertation research, tuition awards for master's students, and departmental funding allocations.

In addition to students enrolled in the certificate program, the Center of Excellence aims to engage at least 50 students per year in maternal and child health coursework, practice experiences or research activities.

The program will also enhance the existing Maternal and Child Health Student Association, providing funding to eliminate membership fees and expand programming focused on leadership development, community building, and professional networking.

"We are excited to support both students who want comprehensive training in maternal and child health through the new certificate program and those who are interested in supplementing their education with maternal and child health coursework, applied practice or research experiences, or engagement in a student organization," Sonneville said. 

Fostering academic-practice partnerships

A key component of the Center of Excellence involves strengthening collaborations between the school and maternal and child health practitioners. The program will establish or enhance partnerships with at least 10 maternal and child health agencies to provide technical assistance and support policy development through applied research and student-led initiatives.

Laura Power, director of the school's Office of Public Health Practice and the project's practice lead, will ensure these partnerships provide meaningful real-world experience for students while addressing pressing community needs. 

"Our academic-practice partnerships are essential for bridging the gap between research and practice," Power said. "Students will gain invaluable experience while helping agencies address complex maternal and child health challenges."

Tapping existing faculty leadership and expertise

The program will be led by faculty experts across all six academic departments at Michigan Public Health, with a designated Maternal and Child Health Departmental Faculty Lead from each department who is responsible for mentoring students and developing coursework. The initiative will also introduce a formal Maternal and Child Health Public Health faculty designation to recognize and support faculty with substantial maternal and child health expertise.

"The Center of Excellence draws on the incredible depth of maternal and child health expertise across our school and builds on a legacy of critical maternal and child health work led by Michigan Public Health faculty and community partners over decades," said Karen Peterson, professor and chair of Nutritional Sciences at Michigan Public Health. "From our established research centers to faculty working in a wide range of areas from nutrition to health behavior to environmental health, we're drawing on deep expertise to train the next generation of maternal and child health leaders."

Ensuring long-term impact and sustainability

The Center of Excellence aims to create a sustainable pipeline of well-prepared maternal and child health professionals capable of addressing the unique needs of mothers and children. The program will track graduates' career progression for five years to assess the long-term impact of the training.

Research findings, training methods, and curriculum innovations will also be shared with other institutions to expand the program's impact nationwide.

The University of Michigan joins an elite group of institutions selected for this competitive award, including the University of California Berkeley, Harvard University, Emory University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The funding begins in 2025 and will continue through 2030.

This initiative is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under Grant Number HRSA-25-027, Centers of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Education, Science, and Practice.