Continuing Education

The UIC MCHP serves MCH professionals in the community through a variety of continuing education opportunities.

2009 MCH Leadership Retreat

The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Program will hold the 2nd annual MCH Leadership Retreat on July 20-22, 2009 at the Hyatt Lodge at McDonald’s Campus in Oakbrook, IL. The retreat will focus on building the evidence-base for social and economic justice, leadership development at all career stages, leaving a legacy, and developing a community of interdisciplinary, intergenerational MCH professionals at all levels of academia and practice.
The retreat is a working retreat and is designed to be highly interactive with many opportunities to engage in thoughtful, intellectual conversations and activities with your MCH colleagues. In line with traditional retreats, there will be opportunities for self-reflection, self-care, and rejuvenation. The MCH workforce works hard to improve the lives of our women, children, and families! We could all use time to connect, reflect, and refuel!

If you have any specific questions, please contact Kris Riskley, DrPH at 312.996.2875 or kyrisley@uic.edu

Evidence-Based Challenges in MCH

In 2008, the UIC MCH Program developed four case studies for use in the 2008 MCH Leadership Retreat: Leadership, Legacy, and Community. The case studies address common evidence-based challenges in MCH: 1) The Intervention Works but Not for the Intended Problem: The Case of Prenatal Care and Low Birth Weight/Prematurity, 2) The Intervention Works But There is More Adherence/Uptake in Some Populations: The Case of Breastfeeding, 3) There is Deep Commitment to an Intervention by Some Key Groups but the Evidence Base is Limited: The Case of the Medical Home Model, 4) The Problem is Significant but There is No Known Prevention Intervention: The Case of Autism.

Each case study was designed to be used as the basis for a 3-hour workshop that will help you take a closer look at the evidence-based challenges we face in MCH. In the links below, you will find an overview of the case, a copy of the case study, discussion questions, discussion guidelines, facilitator instructions, and references. Please feel free to use as is or make modifications that suit your individual agency/organizational needs.

Links to Case Studies:

• The Intervention Works but Not for the Intended Problem: The Case of Prenatal Care and Low Birth      Weight/Prematurity

• The Intervention Works But There is More Adherence/Uptake in Some Populations: The Case of Breastfeeding

MCH Brown Bag Seminars

The UIC-SPH MCH program hosts brown bag seminars on current issues in MCH. All UIC faculty, staff, and students as well as state and local MCH agency personnel (public and private) and all other MCH professionals are encouraged to attend.

All seminars are held from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm. The locations of the seminars vary. To learn more about upcoming seminars, please contact Kris Risley, DrPH at 312.996.2875 or kyrisley@uic.edu.

Leadership Pathways

Leadership pathways is a new continuing education program developed by the MCH program. This experiential leadership development program is designed to uncover, strengthen, and build on your natural strengths as a leader. The program includes four, 1-day workshops over the course of seven months. The program includes a variety of experiences such as interactive exercises, lively discussions, and ongoing feedback to help each participant discover what makes him/her a compelling, effective, and influential leader. Participants lear new skills for working effectively with others; in teams, developing improvement strategies for workplaces; and with the larger community, developing competencies for building meaningful coalitions for local/global change.

If you want to have a powerful, positive, and lasting impact in your agency/organization and/or community, this program is for you. For additional information, please contact Kris Risley, DrPH at 312.996.2875 or kyrisley@uic.edu.