This summer, one of my students explained her interest in public health by describing a personal experience. Before that summer, she volunteered at a local non-profit and saw young women her age getting help with sexually transmitted diseases and other health challenges. She vowed that she would one day help young women and their young families avoid major health issues early in life and live healthier lives. That is how she became interested in maternal and child health.
Maternal and child health is an area of public health that includes all of the typical public health fields or disciplines, such as health education, policy and environmental health. Because women (as caregivers) have a strong influence on the health of families and children are vulnerable (or rely on others for care), some public health experts focus only on these populations.
If you are interested in maternal and child health (including youth and families), look for programs with and without the “maternal and child health or MCH” title. Regardless of what a program is called, it may have faculty and resources focused on your exact interests.
Program Examples
Emory University Rollins School of Public Health
Hubert Department of Global Health
Master of Public Health degree
(with a concentration in reproductive health and population studies)
University of Minnesota School of Public Health
Maternal and Child Health Program
Degree: Master of Public Health
A Report on Women’s Health in MPH Programs
US Department of Health and Human Services
Health Resources and Services Administration
Beyond Women’s Health
