#UMNMCH student Dr. Laurel Cederberg (MPH 2024) wrote this reflection detailing her involvement with the Vision Health Task Force. The task force is dedicated to addressing vision health equity, particularly through their “Little Eyes, Big Eyes” project for Native American children and families in Minnesota. Drawing from her hands-on experience, Laurel conducted an extensive literature […]
Tag: Health disparities
Student Spotlight: How did Annie Olson’s Interests in Mental Health and Adolescents Inspire Her Desire for Health Equity?
#UMNMCH student Annie Olson (MPH 2024) wrote this reflection on how her deployment with the Minnesota Department of Health gave her the opportunity to analyze and disseminate information about the health of Minnesota adolescents and contributed to her understanding of mental health equity. What was your path to the UMN MCH Program? Before coming to […]
Student Spotlight: How Did Tia Joy Peterson’s Interest in Changing Outcomes for Incarcerated Parents and their Children Inspire the Direction of her Master’s Program?
#UMNMCH student Tia Joy Peterson (she/her/hers) wrote this reflection on how her field experience and deployment contributed to her career in Maternal and Child Health (MCH). When I first entered the University of Minnesota (UMN) Master of Public Health specified in MCH, I knew right away that I wanted to concentrate on how to reduce […]
Student Spotlight: How did Mary Kate Leloux’s Deployment with the Minnesota Department of Health’s PRAMS Project provide a foundational experience in public health data collection processes?
#UMNMCH student Mary Kate Leloux (she/her) (MPH 2024) wrote this reflection on how her deployment with the Minnesota Department of Health PRAMS Project and passion for communities has developed her interest in representative public health data. Path to the UMN MPH in MCH Program With undergraduate studies in biology and sociology, I was often asked […]
Student Spotlight: How is Kailee Elizabeth Schaberg working to address intersectional violence among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations?
#UMNMCH student Kailee Elizabeth Schaberg (she/her, they/them) (MPH 2024) shares a personal reflection on their experience as a Domestic Violence Prevention intern (DVPi) at the Indian Health Board of Minneapolis (Center-funded position). “With the current literature, we know AI/AN women disproportionately experience intersectional forms of violence (specifically domestic violence and intimate partner violence) more than […]
MCH Field Experience: Summer 2013
By Sonja Ausen-Anifrani This summer, I had the opportunity to fulfill my field experience requirement at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). I was stationed in the STD and HIV section of MDH and was employed with the task of developing protocol for the Fetal and Infant Mortality Review as it relates to perinatal transmission […]
How long-term benefits override upfront costs: using research and evaluation to justify a female condom intervention
In a time where economic interests override public health concerns, a new study published in AIDS and Behavior shows that public health spending can reduce costs in the long run. In general, female condoms are more expensive than male condoms. However, after cost-analyzing an initiative that distributed 200,000 condoms to women in a neighborhood with […]
Healthy Homes: Lead Poisoning
Keeping the home healthy: an environmental health issue. But should it also be a concern for MCH? Where children spend time eating, drinking, playing, doing homework and sleeping, should the MCH field focus on how living spaces may influence health? Many of the hazards that affect a child’s life course may originate in the home […]
MAMA: Motherhood Around the Globe
An online exhibition of global art, voices, and ideas, MAMA: Motherhood around the Globe is an inspiring community for anyone who is a mother, knows one, or works with one (that’s all of you!). Housed through the International Museum of Women, the website includes videos, facts, and figures promoting healthy moms and its significance with […]
Controversy over Co-Sleeping: A PubH Campaign
A controversial public health campaign coming from Milwaukee targets infant and caregiver bed sharing. 20% of Milwaukee’s infant mortality rate is attributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Sudden Unexplained Death in Infancy (SUDI); it is the 7th worst in the country, with also large disparity rates (Black infant mortality rates are almost 3 […]
Health Disparities and Children in Rural Areas
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has released a report on U.S. rural children and their health, called The Health and Well-Being of Children in Rural Areas: A Portrait of the Nation 2007. Compared to urban areas, children living in rural locations are more likely to face adverse health outcomes. The study uses parental responses from […]
Perceptions of HIV in Hard Hit Areas
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) has released a new and enlightening report from a 12-city project initiated by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Department created the plan to enhance HIV prevention, care and treatment in cities with high HIV/AIDS burden. These metropolitan cities represent 44% of the U.S.’s AIDS […]
HPV Vaccination Recommendation for Boys
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) released recommendations for boys and the HPV vaccine yesterday. In order to reduce risk of acquiring genital warts, in 2009 the ACIP advised that the vaccine may be administered to males aged 9 through 26, however they did not recommend the vaccine for routine use. The unanimous […]
Fixing Fast Food
A fresh viewpoint on food and obesity in the United States by Mark Bittman of the NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/opinion/sunday/is-junk-food-really-cheaper.html. Focusing on claims that fast food is cheaper than buying groceries, Bittman compares food prices via graphics and data. An interesting aspect of the article is that the author focuses on cultural changes in cooking. He argues […]