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The MCHC/RISE-UP Program provides opportunities for enhanced public health leadership training in maternal and child health, focusing on social determinants of health, elimination of health disparities, and developmental disabilities. Grant funding for this program was awarded to Kennedy Krieger Institute by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) John R. Lewis Undergraduate Public Health Scholars Program to develop a national consortium of institutions and universities that provides undergraduate scholars with three public health leadership experiences: (1) clinical, (2) research, and (3) community engagement and advocacy.

The consortium was built on the Leadership Education and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) and University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) training framework and includes:

  1. Kennedy Krieger Institute partnering with the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, School of Nursing, School of Medicine, Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities
  2. The University of South Dakota partnering with Tribal Serving Institutions
  3. The University of California, Davis (UC-Davis) MIND Institute partnering with UC-Davis Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
  4. Aaniiih Nakoda College/Fort Belknap Community

MCHC/RISE-UP’s ultimate goal is to promote a more equitable health system by introducing highly qualified, diverse undergraduate and recent baccalaureate degree scholars (undergraduate juniors, seniors, and scholars who received their baccalaureate degree within 12 months of MCHC/RISE-UP program orientation), who have at least a 2.7 GPA on a 4.0 scale, to the field of public health.

All scholars interested in maternal and child health, reducing health disparities, and promoting social justice, especially scholars from underrepresented populations in the field of public health, are strongly encouraged to apply.

Partnering Sites Available for Selection:

  1. Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD
  2. The University of South Dakota/Sanford School of Medicine Center for Disabilities in Sioux Falls, SD
  3. The University of California in Davis, CA
  4. Aaniiih Nakoda College/Fort Belknap Community

MCHC/RISE-UP Fact Sheet

MCHC/RISE-UP Frequently Asked Questions

2024 Planned Program Activities

For More Information:

For additional program information, please contact MCHC-RISE-UP@kennedykrieger.org.