George Washington University - Maternal and Child Health Program

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George Washington University - Maternal and Child Health Program

Milken Institute School of Public Health We are one of thirteen outstanding Centers of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health in the country! MCH community.
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The goals of this educational program are to provide and improve:
Knowledge and skills to assess the health care needs of women, children, and families
Ability to plan, design, implement, evaluate and communicate programs and research targeted toward health promotion, disease prevention among women, children, and families. Our Center of Excellence is firmly rooted in the following values and princ

iples:
1. Integrating ‘learning by doing’ into our student education and training.
2. Promoting a culture of service that respects the contributions of all members of our
3. Embracing social justice and diversity in our MCH mission.
5. Creating innovation in ethical evidence-based MCH policy, research, practice, and
pedagogy. COMPETENCIES

The Association of Teachers of Maternal and Child Health have outlined 5 basic competency areas in MCH that our program strives to attain:

1. Scientific Basis of MCH public health practice
2. Methodological/Analytical Skills
3. Management and Communication Skills
4. Policy and Advocacy Skills
5. Values and Ethics in MCH Public Health Practice

10/28/2025

Botamina offers valuable insights for students interested in Practice Fellowships, based on her Fellowship experience at The Body Agency this past summer.

Follow the link in our bio to learn more about her fellowship and the lessons she learned!

The Practice Fellowships are highlights of our students’ experiences during their MPH at GW - and the opportunity could be yours! Applications have just opened for Spring 2026 Practice Fellowships!!

10/23/2025

Myrka’s advice to future Practice Fellows is salient to all students, especially those in internship positions!

Myrka was a Practice Fellow over the summer with The Body Agency. She had the exciting opportunity to focus on social media content creation and blog posts for their podcast S*x, Body, and Soul! Read more about how this experience shaped how she views communication and advocacy in public health in her blog post, linked in our bio!

Practice Fellows have the chance to hone skills outside of the classroom that they might not have the chance to otherwise! Myrka speaks about the opportunity she had as a Practice Fellow to refine her writing from academic, research papers to easy-to-read content and blog posts for a broader audience. Practice Fellowships provide students with the chance to practice new skills and sharpen others, helping our students to grow as well-rounded and multidimensional future public health professionals!

A Practice Fellowship is the perfect chance to strengthen skills outside of the classroom and enhance your learning!

10/20/2025

Rebekah Bass, MCH student, was also part of the ROOTT DC Project this summer as a research scholar! This collaborative experience was a unique opportunity to build relationships with faculty, fellow students, and community partners!

The Research Scholars Program that the CoE offers outstanding opportunities for our students to dive deeper and connect with each other and the broader DC community!

10/14/2025

Jessica gave some incredible advice to students (both current and prospective) about Practice Fellowships through the Center of Excellence.

Jessica was a Practice Fellow at March of Dimes and the Body Agency this summer! Check out more about her TWO amazing experiences in her blog, linked in our bio!

These experiences are bridges for students to enter into the real-world practice and put the skills and knowledge from the classroom into action! Jessica brings up a great point about communicating with your mentors about your interests to help create an experience that furthers your learning in meaningful ways. Our Practice Fellowships are a great opportunity to dive into experiences outside of the classroom and gain the knowledge and perspective that comes with applying what you’ve been studying.

Being a Practice Fellow can help take your GW experience to the next level-your chance to level-up might be right around the corner! 💪👀

10/09/2025

Ashley Nkollo, an Environmental and Occupational Health MPH student, worked alongside Dr. Kuiper (EOH), Dr.Ruiz (MCH) and Rebekah Bass (MCH) this summer as a Research Scholar on the ROOTT DC Project!

This project dives deeper into the impact of environmental disparities in health outcomes for the maternal and child population in DC. This analysis of ward-level exposures will provide key insights to help shape policy interventions in the future!

This collaboration between programs at GWSPH highlights the intersectional and dynamic approach to research that the Research Scholars Program offers students. Providing students with top of the line experiences that emulate collaborative and multifaceted work environments is part of what sets our GW CoE apart!

10/06/2025

Cassandra provided some wise advice for students interested in Practice Fellowships through the Center of Excellence!

Cassandra was a Practice Fellow this past spring at the Virginia Department of Health. Read more about her experience working with the team at VA DOH in her blog, linked in our bio!

The GW CoE Practice Fellowships are part of what makes our program remarkable and helps our students gain hands on experiences in the Public Health field. And just like Cassandra said, these networking connections are valuable and can lead you to other opportunities! Our practice fellowships are the perfect chance to network and give you those connections before you enter the workforce!

You won’t want to miss the chance to be a practice fellow! 👀

10/02/2025

Christina Lilley, a Health Policy MPH student, was selected to be a part of the Research Scholars Program through the Center of Excellence this past summer!

The comprehensive inventory project that she spearheaded provides incredible, up-to-date tracking on child health policy throughout the US and territories, providing an innovative and exciting link between policy and practice. Her amazing work under the guidance of her mentors Anne Markus and Zoe Beckerman is truly remarkable!

Opportunities such as the Research Scholars Program provide the unique chance for students to dive deeper into topics they are passionate about and create meaningful (and impressive) projects from these collaborations with faculty and staff!

Be sure to stay tuned to hear more from other Research Scholars!

10/01/2025

As Dr. Amita Vyas assumes the role of interim Chair, Department of Prevention and Community Health (PCH), Dr. Karen McDonnell steps in to become interim Director, Maternal and Child Health Program. Dr. McDonnell is an Associate Professor in the PCH Department and a public health program evaluation and implementation specialist of 20+ years. She has special expertise in using mixed methods to look at complex public health issues and programs. We are so excited for Dr. KAM to step into this role and we look forward to the insight and enthusiasm she will bring!

09/24/2025

Here’s some great advice from current MCH MPH student Audrey Benjamin!

Audrey participated in a Center of Excellence Practice Fellowship this past spring and shares more about the amazing experience she had in her blog post (linked in our bio)-be sure to check it out!

The GW CoE Practice Fellowships provide our students with incredible, one-of-kind experiences to strengthen our students’ real-world skills. It’s opportunities like these that make the GW MCH program so special!

Keep an eye out for future opportunities to follow Audrey’s advice and take advantage of all the CoE has to offer!

09/22/2025

Congratulations to Dr.Vyas on her new role as Interim Chair of the Department of Prevention and Community Health, starting October 1! We are grateful for Dr.Napolitano’s leadership and service over the last year in this role and look forward to Dr.Vyas’s successful continuation of these efforts and her own innovation and ingenuity. Read more via link in our bio!

09/15/2025

3 of our incredible alumni took the time to chat with us and share their experiences working with the Center of Excellence! They also provided valuable advice and encouragement for current students, from all things GW MCH to navigating the job search.

We appreciate them and are so proud of all they have accomplished as GW alum! 💙💛

Check out our website to read more from our interviews with them!

09/12/2025

Check out our Annual Report from 2024-2025! This highlights all of the programs, projects and impact that our Center of Excellence had over the last year. 🩺📚🦠🤰 We couldn’t be more proud of everything that our Center accomplished and look forward to seeing everything that we continue to achieve (stay tuned to see our plans for what’s next 👀)! 📲Read the full report on our website, linked in our bio!

Address

950 New Hampshire Avenue NW
Washington D.C., DC
20052

Website

http://publichealth.gwu.edu/programs/maternal-and-child-health-mph

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