University of Illinois at Chicago

Problem:

Healthy People 2010 highlights the numerous challenges, including persistent disparities in health outcomes, that exist among women, children, and families. MCH professionals are committed to conducting high-quality research to better understand the disparities facing the MCH population as well as to developing and testing programs to reduce such disparities. Unfortunately, much of the research affecting MCH does not get disseminated to MCH professionals responsible for program planning, implementation, and evaluation. Further, many MCH professionals have had little formal education in public health sciences, limited exposure and access to the most current research findings affecting MCH, and inadequate skills necessary to translate research into practice. One important strategy to make this information available is to offer continuing education (CE) in a conference format where participants can hear from expert researchers and practitioners and engage in dialogue about how best to develop and implement programs that will reduce disparities and improve health as well as access to services. Although there are several major MCH conferences, the UIC MCH Leadership Conference is the only national MCH conference designed to address the use of evidence to improve the planning, implementation, and evaluation of MCH programs. The MCH program at UIC recognizes this gap and is committed to providing an annual, national MCH Leadership Conference: Making Change Happen: Translating Research into MCH Practice (Making Change Happen).

Goals and Objectives:

The goal of this project is to make available a series of three, annual, national MCH Leadership Conferences focused on Translating Research into MCH Practice. By participating in this conference, MCH professionals will be able to: 1) interpret and discuss new research findings about the health and well-being of women, children and families (yearly); 2) identify and describe programs that are effective (or not effective) in reducing disparities and improving the health status of the MCH population (yearly); 3) identify issues/barriers related to introducing particular programs of interest in their state or local community (yearly); 4) identify experts they may contact to discuss MCH problems in their communities and/or collaborate on research and practice projects to reduce disparities and improve the health status of the MCH population (yearly); and, 5) utilize new skills to enhance evidence-based practice (yearly). Each conference will address the continuing education needs of the participants. Each conference will include a poster session/roundtable discussion to highlight state efforts to improve MCH. Each conference will highlight participant efforts to develop and implement evidence-based practice. Each conference will include sessions that are archived on the website so that MCH professionals from across the country have access to important and timely information.

Methodology:

The specific activities that the MCHP will undertake to achieve the goals and objectives of the Making Change Happen series of conferences include: 1) Reconfigure National Conference Planning Committee (NCPC) for the 2008-2010 cycle; 2) Query Title V MCH/CSHCN Directors from across the nation regarding their needs and the needs of their staff around evidence-based University of Illinois; A. Handler; T21MC00094 (Project Summary/Abstract) Page 1 of 2 research and practice; 3) Convene two NCPC meetings to determine the content and speakers for each conference; 4) Expand the Making Change Happen marketing strategy to include an expanded, more comprehensive list of MCH professionals; 5) Mail Save the Date Postcards; 6) Mail Call for Abstract Postcards; 7) Mail Conference Brochure; 7) Provide a national 2-day Making Change Happen conference focused on the use of evidence-based research to improve MCH; 8) Maintain MCHConference listserv with weekly research updates and opportunities for ongoing dialogue for conference participants. HEALTHY PEOPLE 2010 OBJECTIVES: 23-2: Increase the proportion of Federal, Tribal, State, and local public health agencies that have made information available to the public in the past year on the leading health indicators, health status indicators, and priority data needs. 23-10: Increase the proportion of Federal, Tribal, State, and local public health agencies that provide continuing education to develop competency in essential public health services for their employees. 23-17: Increase the proportion of Federal, Tribal, State, and local public health agencies that conduct or collaborate on population-based prevention research. 7-10: Increase the proportion of Tribal and local health service areas or jurisdictions that have established a community health promotion program that addresses multiple Healthy People 2010 focus areas. 7-11: Increase the proportion of local health departments that have established culturally appropriate and linguistically competent community health promotion and disease prevention programs.

Coordination:

Coordination with local and state health, social services and education agencies is incorporated into the structure of the National Conference Planning Committee. Intra- and interagency coordination will be modeled in conference sessions.

Evaluation:

Throughout the conference planning process, the UIC MCHP will monitor and document achievement of grant and conference objectives. Attendees will complete evaluation forms for each session they attend and for the overall conference. The conference listserv (MCHConference) will be used to query conference attendees about the extent to which the conference influenced their workforce performance and their ability to translate research into practice. Conference speakers and facilitators, and MCHP faculty, staff and students will also be asked to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the conference.