UIC CoE-MCH Hosts Successful MCHB Regions V & VII 2024 Conference

In June 2024, the UIC Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health hosted the 2024 Regions V & VII Conference in Oak Brook, IL at the Hyatt Lodge. This day-and-a-half long conference brought together faculty, staff, students/trainees, doctoral students, post-doc fellows, clinicians and family members (LEND) affiliated with the MCHB-funded programs in Regions V or VII, as well as local public health practitioners. There were representatives from:

• Access Health Network
• Boone Health Department
• Chicago State University
• Healthy Start Grantee
• Illinois Department of Public Health
• Illinois Maternal Health Task Force
• Illinois MCH Title V
• ILPQC
• Johns Hopkins University CoE-MCH
• McHenry County
• Michigan Public Health Institute
• Northern Illinois University
• OCEAN-HP
• Ohio State University LEND
• Saint Louis University CoE-MCH
• South Side Healthy Community Organization FCC Region B CAB Member
• UIC Maternal Health Innovation Team
• University of Cincinnati LEND
• University of Illinois Chicago CoE-MCH
• University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine
• University of Illinois Chicago LEND
• University of Iowa Catalyst Program
• University of Minnesota CoE-MCH
• University of Minnesota LEAH
• University of Minnesota LEND
• University of Nebraska LEND
• University of Wisconsin - Madison LEND
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee MCH Catalyst Program
• Wayne State University LEND
• Well-Woman Program at Will County Health Department
• Westside Healthy Start

The conference, titled “Passing the Baton: Building the New Cohort of MCH Leadership” and focused on leadership, equity, and community, kicked off with a welcome reception, which was followed by one of the most exciting aspects of the event, a documentary screening and talk-back with the filmmaker and subject. Attendees watched “Us Kids,” a documentary about youth leaders and activists fighting for justice with the March For Our Lives movement, as they pulled off “the largest youth protest in American history and set out across the country and globally to build an inclusive and unprecedented youth movement that addresses racial justice, a growing public health crisis and shocking a political system into change.” Following the screening, director and producer Kim Snyder and youth activist Alex King joined moderator (and day two’s plenary speaker) Dr. Renee Canady for a conversation about the making of the film, gun violence as a public health issue, and the importance of youth activism.

Day two began with plenary speaker Dr. Canady’s presentation “Developing Courageous Leaders:  Emphasizing Equity & Passing the Baton,” highlighting themes from her book “Room at the Table: A Leader's Guide to Advancing Health Equity and Justice.” Attendees were energized by her emphasis on enacting change, even through outrage, leading with authenticity, and moving equity work forward one step at a time.

The majority of day two was spent in two breakout sessions:

• Tips for Being a MCH Leader, with Will Story (University of Iowa Catalyst Program), Emmanuel Ngui (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee MCH Catalyst Program), Steph Weber (University of Cincinnati LEND), and moderator Janine Hill (University of Illinois Chicago CoE-MCH)
• Collaboration across MCH Training Grants and Public Health Practice, with Jen Larson (Wayne State University LEND), Zobeida Bonilla (University of Minnesota CoE-MCH), Kruti Acharya (University of Illinois Chicago LEND), and moderator Drissa Toure (University of Minnesota CoE-MCH).

Breaking up the breakout sessions was a group networking opportunity, where attendees participated in conversations around their visions for next grant cycle, implementing equity in their organizations, creating fierce conversations in academe and practice, discussing academic/practice partnerships, and how to best integrating new professionals into the MCH workforce.

Overall, the conference was an excellent gathering of folks across midwestern MCH practice and academia. The Hyatt Lodge, which used to be part of the McDonalds corporate campus, was a stunning environment, even with the surplus of cicadas! Feedback from attendees showed high satisfaction with the sessions throughout the event and appreciation for the opportunities to network and learn from peers.