5-Minute MCH: Module 9.3

1. How to Advance Yourself as an MCH Leader (Self-Reflection Strategy). Identify your personal strengths and areas of growth by taking 5 minutes to register/log-in to the MCH Navigator's Self-Assessment and answer questions related to Competency 9: Developing Others Through Teaching and Mentoring.
2. How to Find and Use Tools to Help You (Information Strategy). Are you a teacher of public health or MCH? Check out the Association of Teachers of Maternal and Child Health's (ATMCH's) Teaching & Learning Resources (formerly MCH Syllabi Project) and mentorship opportunities for where to go to learn about important MCH topics or to get ideas for how to teach these topic areas yourself and to sign up for their mentorship program. Are you a student preparing for a career in public health practice, research, planning, policy development, or advocacy? Check out the MCHB-funded Centers of Excellence in MCH Education, Science and Practice . Find programs that emphasize leadership training; applied research; and technical assistance to communities, states, and regions.
   
3. How to Activate Your Organization (Organizational Strategy). Mentoring is a personalized approach to learning based on a personal and professional relationship between a learner (mentee) and a mentor. Have you ever been a mentee or mentor? Does your organization have a mentorship program? If not, have you considered starting one? Follow the steps of creating a mentor program from the Society for Human Resource Management. Then, take a look at a couple of program examples:
   • The Academic Health Department (AHD) Mentorship Program connects individuals seeking guidance in AHD development, operation, or evaluation with those having experience in that area. (AHDs are formal affiliations of health departments and academic health professions institutions.)
   • The Student Network for Public Health Law pairs experienced public health law professionals with law and public health students across the country.
4. How to Incorporate Partners (Systems Strategy). Recent research has identified informatics and data analysis for evidence-based decision making as a top work force development need and priority across public health disciplines. Tap established partners and programs in the field to form a community of peer mentors. Learn about partnerships to develop MCH epidemiology leaders; advance MCH data and analytic capacity; and evaluate, train, and educate the field. Propose a 3-month summer project or apply for a summer internship with the Graduate Student Epidemiology Program. Attend a skills building workshop targeting critical needs such as the CityMatCH Leadership and MCH Epidemiology Conference. Participate in a peer exchange or research collaboration opportunity. Promote innovation and collaboration to strengthen the field of MCH epidemiology.
   
5. How to Engage Your Communities. Increasing the numbers and diversity of families actively and effectively involved in health care policy and administration has the potential for significant long-term impact. Remember that families and community members are excellent sources of mentors. Don't forget that you can provide mentors to the community to support public health programs. For example, Family Voices of California’s (FVCA) Project Leadership prepares families to build partnerships with professionals and engage in public policy advocacy on behalf of children and youth with special health care needs. The project features a training curriculum, paired with mentoring and support. As part of the mentorship component, FVCA developed an online learning community so program graduates from all over the state can share information and resources. The group serves as an additional forum in which trainers can provide ongoing support and peer mentorship can thrive. Download the curriculum; learn more about the benefits of family involvement and barriers to family participation; and find tips on implementing a curriculum, staffing, recruitment and retention of families/caregivers, scheduling, facilitation, and mentoring.
   

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• "It's difficult to remember how to incorporate mentorship into our schedules. These are nice, low-impact ways to do just that."
• "Expanding teaching and mentorship beyond our colleagues is important to consider. Engaging partners and the community in mentoring is equally important."