MCH Pipeline Training Program: Connecting with Academia to Build Capacity Through Mentoring

• Published in: Maternal and child health journal Vol. 26; no. Suppl 1; pp. 37 - 43
• Main Authors: Belcher, Harolyn M. E., Copeland-Linder, Nikeea, Stone, Jacqueline, Waters, Catrina R., Kuo, Alice, Moerchen, Victoria, Olaleye, Omonike, Salihu, Hamisu M., Vamos, Cheryl, Brown, Claudia, Reddy, Madhavi M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-08-2022; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Child health services; Childrens health; Education; From the Field; Graduate schools; Gynecology; Leadership; Management; Maternal & child health; Maternal and Child Health; Maternal health services; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mentoring programs; Mentors; Methods; Mixed methods research; Pediatrics; Population Economics; Public Health; Public health administration; Sociology; Training; Workshops; United States; Underrepresented populations; Pipeline programs; Culturally congruent mentorship; MCH workforce development
• ISSN: 1092-7875; 1573-6628
• DOI: 10.1007/s10995-022-03397-3

Introduction
Efforts to recruit and retain diverse Maternal and Child Health (MCH) professionals are of paramount public health significance. Culturally congruent mentorship strategies are key to supporting a successful transition from undergraduate to graduate studies.
Methods
This mixed-method study evaluated a culturally congruent mentorship training used by one of the MCH Pipeline Training programs and described mentorship practices and lessons learned from the six MCH Pipeline programs. A retrospective pre-test post-test survey assessed mentorship competency skills following a mentoring workshop. All MCH Pipeline program leaders completed a questionnaire to elicit responses about mentoring training practices, mentor evaluation strategies, and lessons learned.
Results
Maternal and Child Health Pipeline Training Programs supported 1890 undergraduate scholars at universities and institutions nationally. Scholars at six MCH Pipeline Programs participated in MCH education and mentored experiential leadership opportunities in clinical practice, research, and public health education. Qualitative program-level mentor survey themes indicated the importance of creating a reflective space and building mentorship teams. Mean mentor self-assessed improvement in mentor competencies was 14.4 points, 95% CI [10.5, 18.3],
p
 < .001 following completion of a mentoring training workshop implemented by one of the MCH Pipeline programs.
Discussion
The Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau recognized the need to support the development of the next generation of diverse MCH leaders. Pipeline programs that included mentoring workshops and building culturally congruent mentorship teams are two strategies to increase and retain diverse scholars in graduate school and leaders in the public health workforce.