PROBLEM
To improve the health of women, children, and families, the MCH workforce relies on research and evidence-based decision-making in all aspects of the planning cycle from program planning and evaluation to policy development and advocacy. However, many MCH professionals have little formal public health education and inadequate skills to translate research into practice. The MCH workforce needs and desires continuing education opportunities that provide information about cutting-edge research and the skills necessary to facilitate the translation of research into practice. The Maternal and Child Health Program (MCHP) at the University of Illinois at Chicago-School of Public Health (UIC-SPH) recognizes the gap between research and practice and is committed to providing continuing education (CE) that assists the MCH workforce in their efforts to use research to guide practice. The UIC-SPH MCHP is planning a series of three annual continuing education conferences (Making Change Happen: Translating Research into MCH Public Health Practice) to support efforts by MCH professionals to utilize evidence-based research to address the myriad MCH problems outlined in Healthy People 2010 and the MCHB Strategic Plan (1998-2003) at the state and local levels.
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
The goal of this project is to provide the MCH workforce in DHHS Regions V and VII with the skills necessary to use research to guide practice to improve the health and well-being of women, infants, children, and families. This year’s conference will specifically address using cutting-edge research to address racial and ethnic disparities in health. The conference includes a keynote address, five plenary sessions, nine workshop sessions, and roundtable discussions with an invited poster session to address several timely MCH issues. The MCHP will webcast the keynote address and audiotape all plenary sessions. Further, the slides from all sessions will be posted to the Internet. The conference webpage [www.uic.edu/sph/mch/ce/mch_leadership] provides detailed information about the conference and a listserv [MCHConference] is used to maintain contact with and share current, cutting-edge research with conference participants between conferences.
METHODOLOGY
The UIC MCHP coordinates each conference; a multidisciplinary MCH Conference Planning Committee is responsible for its development. The committee identifies topics for workshops and interactive plenary sessions based on expressed CE needs as well as what is known with respect to cutting edge MCH issues and longstanding MCH problems. Conference sessions discuss the translation of research into practice to improve MCH and specifically focus on methods to reduce racial and ethnic disparities.
COORDINATION
Coordination with local and state health, social services and education agencies is incorporated into the structure of the planning committee. Intra- and interagency coordination is modeled in conference sessions.
EVALUATION
Throughout the conference planning process, the UIC MCHP monitors and documents achievement of grant and conference objectives. Attendees complete evaluation forms for each
conference session and for the overall conference. Conference speakers and facilitators, and MCHP faculty, staff and students will evaluate the overall effectiveness of the conference. In the third year of this three-year grant, the conference listserv will be used to query conference attendees about the extent to which the conference had an impact on workforce performance and their ability to translate research into practice.
ANNOTATION
The purpose of the annual Maternal and Child Health Leadership Conference: Translating Research into MCH Public Health Practice is to provide the MCH workforce in DHHS Regions V and VII with the knowledge and skills necessary to use research findings to develop programs that improve the health and well-being of women, infants, children, and families. MCH professionals are exposed to evidence-based research that may help address the myriad MCH problems outlined in Healthy People 2010 and the MCHB strategic plan.
KEYWORDS
KEY WORDS: Maternal and Child Health, Continuing Education, Technical Assistance, Leadership, Conference, Research to Practice.
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