Key points
- MCHEP helps public health agencies build applied epidemiology, data use, and evaluation capacity.
- MCHEP places senior CDC epidemiologists in state, local, and tribal public health agencies.
- MCHEP focuses specifically on building maternal and child health expertise.
- MCHEP provides mentoring to fellows, interns, and junior agency staff.
Who are we and what do we do
The Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Program (MCHEP) assigns CDC epidemiologists to state, local, and tribal public health agencies.
Over the past 40 years, epidemiologists have served more than 32 states, agencies, and organizations.1 These include CityMatCH, the US-Mexico Border Region, Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, and the Indian Health Service Epidemiology Office. CDC epidemiologists currently serve 8 state health departments.
MCHEP supports projects to improve maternal and child health (MCH) programs and data use, including improving equity and reducing disparities. These projects include:
- CDC-Harvard Program Evaluation Practicum.
- Data Roadmap for Racial Equity Advancement in MCH Learning Community.
- Tribal Epidemiology and the TEC Summit.
- Workforce Development in MCH.
- CityMatCH Leadership and MCH Epidemiology Conference.
MCHEP collaborates with:
- American Indian and Alaska Native organizations to improve reproductive, maternal, and child health.
- Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System Program to provide county-level data on MCH indicators.
- CDC to support the Hear Her® campaign to prevent pregnancy-related deaths by sharing potentially life-saving messages about urgent warning signs.
- Maternal Mortality Review Committees and help states facilitate the collection and use of information on pregnancy-related deaths.
- States to implement the CDC Levels of Care Assessment ToolSM (LOCATe).
- Perinatal Quality Collaboratives (PQCs) to improve the quality of care for mothers and babies.
- The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists on the placement of MCH applied epidemiology fellows.
MCHEP's Mission
Promote effective, equitable public health action to improve the health and well-being of women, children, and families by building epidemiology and data capacity and applying scientific information and principles to maternal and child health programs and policies
Goals
- Increase MCH epidemiology workforce capacity with a focus on health equity, diversity, and inclusion.
- Reduce inequities in maternal, fetal, infant, and child morbidity and mortality.
- Foster collaborations between public health and clinical care.
- Apply novel methods, respond to emerging MCH epidemiology needs, and support modernization of data systems.
- Kroelinger CD. Collaboration at the federal, state, and local levels to build capacity in maternal and child health: the impact of the Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Program. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2012;21(5):471-475. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2012.3488