Maternal Child Health-Leadership Education, Advocacy, and Research Network

The Maternal Child Health-Leadership Education, Advocacy, and Research Network (MCH-LEARN) program is a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) funded program that facilitates local undergraduate freshman, sophomore, and rising junior scholars entry into graduate school in Maternal Child Health (MCH) fields, i.e., public health and related fields such as pediatrics, MCH nutrition, MCH social work, MCH nursing, pediatric dentistry, psychology, health education, pediatric occupational/physical therapy and speech-language pathology. The program is designed for local scholars (no housing allowance during the Baltimore summer session) from diverse populations underrepresented in the MCH field who desire to learn more about MCH through research, clinical, and advocacy experiences. MCH-LEARN scholars participate in the summer public health research internship with continued monthly experiences throughout the academic year.

The ultimate goal of MCH-LEARN is to promote public health leadership and diversity in Maternal and Child Health graduate studies and careers. MCH-LEARN is designed for highly qualified local (Baltimore/Washington Metropolitan region) undergraduate scholars with at least a 3.0 GPA, or better, on a 4.0 scale who are interested in Maternal Child Health careers. MCH-LEARN provides public health research and community engagement experiences, mentorship, and professional development, especially in developmental disabilities, MCH, mental health, and promotion of health equity strategies to eliminate health disparities.

MCH-LEARN leverages a leadership learning network formed by (1) Kennedy Krieger Institute Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Program, (2) Historically Black Colleges and Universities, (3) Johns Hopkins University Schools of Medicine, School of Nursing, and Bloomberg School of Public Health (4) Parents’ Place of Maryland, and the (5) Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities.

Previous Program Activities

• CDC Showcase and Expo
• Hopkins C.A.R.E.S. Summer Symposium

2023 Planned Activities

The MCH-LEARN is a:

• 9-week summer program that begins Monday, May 29, 2023 and concludes Friday, July 28, 2023.
  • One-Week Summer Program Orientation– Monday, May 29, 2023—Friday, June 2, 2023
• Academic Year Program (Monday, May 29, 2023—Friday, May 24, 2024)

.Orientation Week: The program begins with Orientation for ALL scholars from Monday, May 29, 2023 through Friday, June 2, 2023.

Following Orientation, scholars will begin their MCH-LEARN experience on Monday, June 5, 2023 and conclude on Friday, July 28, 2023 for the summer. MCH-LEARN scholars will resume monthly meetings in September and attend the Room to Grow: Journey to Cultural and Linguistic Competency conference (Date: Tuesday, September 19, 2023).

ALL scholars participate in Tuesday Research Seminars, and collaborative MCHC/RISE-UP teams for Friday Professional Development and Advocacy and CDC Winnable Battles seminars.

Each scholar participates in a public health leadership research experience. Public health experiences offered to scholars include:

Research Experience:
Students work with research mentors on a wide range of public health, prevention, treatment, and epidemiological studies. Students receive training in community-based participatory research, which engages communities that are currently underserved by mainstream systems. In addition, scholars may participate in Community Engagement and Advocacy Experience and rotate through Clinical Experiences.

Program Benefits

• $3,500 stipend for the 9-week summer program and a small stipend for the academic year participation.
• Students participate in a comprehensive educational and applied public health learning experience that will enhance the student’s abilities to successfully transition to an MCH- related graduate or professional school and a career in the MCH field.
• Students gain opportunities to learn about and discuss public health topics related to the MCH field and social determinants of health.
• Students will present their research or MCH public health topic at the end of the summer at various conferences, JHU CARES Symposium, Annual Biomedical Research Conference for  Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS). Students will be sponsored to present at a national conference. Students also present at the LEND Program Research Symposium in April. 

All activities are subject to the availability of federal funds.

For More Information:

For additional program information, please contact MCH-LEARN@KennedyKrieger.org.

Related Materials and Information:

• MCH-LEARN Fact Sheet
• Frequently Asked Questions