2024 UIC CoE-MCH Spring Symposium Recap
The UIC Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health (CoE-MCH) hosted a two-event Spring Symposium, Current Complexities: Responding to Maternal and Child Health in Crises. A committee of graduate students and faculty from the CoE-MCH, School of Public Health, and School of Medicine organized the forum’s theme and speakers. The event was supported by the Irving Harris Foundation, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, and the Global Health Student Interest Group at UIC.
The April 11th panel, “Maternal Substance Use and Its Impact on Perinatal and Child Health: From Awareness to Action”, was hosted by Danita Hingston, Brea Callen, and Caroline Hollahan, and Gabby Masini. Ruchi Fitzgerald, MD, FAAFPand Davida Schiff, MD, Msc discussed the current landscape for perinatal substance use treatment and support in their family-based care settings. Dr. Fitzergald is the Service Chief of Inpatient Addiction Medicine at PCC Community Wellness Center; she is also an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine and Psychiatry/Behavioral Sciences and Associate Program Director of the Addiction Medicine Fellowship at Rush University in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Schiff is a general academic pediatrician, addiction medicine physician, and health services researcher, who is currently the Director of Perinatal and Family-based SUDs Care at Massachusetts General Hospital.
The April 19th panel, “Crucial Conversations: Responding to Maternal and Child Health Crises” was facilitated by Caroline Hollahan and Gabby Masini. John Kahler, MD, FAAP, Rebecca Singer, DNP, RN, and Ciro Ugarte, MD spoke about global humanitarian work for populations affected by violence, disease, and climate disasters across the globe. It was an opportunity for students and community members interested in the future of family health crises responses to learn from three experienced global health practitioners: Dr. Kahler is the Co-Founder of MedGlobal; Dr. Singer worked with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) for 15 years; Dr. Ugarte is the Director of the Department of Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO).
The 2024 Symposium would not have been possible without our committee of students, faculty, and staff: Ellen Mason, MD; Gabby Masini, MSW; Caroline Hollahan, MPH(c); Nautica Farrell, MPH; Danita Hingston, MPH; Jessica Ngoboka, MPH; Simone Taylor, MPH; Izziah Thabath, MPH; Brea Callen, MPH(c); Brittani Collins, MPH(c); and Shivani Saluja, BA. We would like to thank Dr. Chandra Hassan and Dr. Isabel Danel for facilitating speaker connections!
For more information about the Symposium, please reach out to the UIC CoE-MCH at coemch@uic.edu.