Background
The Pipeline Program of the National Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Workforce Development Center is designed to enhance training and networking opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students in MCH Leadership Training Programs. By providing Pipeline participants with the tools to effectively serve the MCH population within the context of health reform and the Affordable Care Act, we will advance the capacity of the Title V workforce to implement policies, programs, and systems that optimize the health and well-being of women, children, and families.
MCH Workforce Development Center activities will support the existing training infrastructure for graduate and undergraduate students in the ‘pipeline’ as they become MCH leaders. In addition to enriching practice opportunities for MCH students to engage with state and territorial Title V agencies during their training, the Pipeline Program will enhance curricula and training tools to increase knowledge and skills in four areas: Quality Improvement; Systems Integration; Change Management; and, Access to Care. Toward this end, the National Center will collaborate with the network of academic MCH training programs nationwide, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, and other key academic and practice contributors to further assess need and provide a strategic response. By investing in the professional development of MCH graduate and undergraduate students today, we are providing the Title V leadership of tomorrow with the knowledge and skills to address future health and health system challenges.
Through the Pipeline Program, existing and new training materials and curricula will be shared with current MCH trainees, MCH training program alumni, MCH academe, and Title V professionals through mixed modalities and multiple communication channels, expediting the translation of new knowledge to practice and peer-to-peer learning within a community of practice.
Now Accepting Student Applications for Paired Practica 
MCH Paired Practica Program Summer 2016—Seeking Student Applications
The National MCH Workforce Development Center, in cooperation with the University of Illinois at Chicago, Howard University, and UCLA, will host an MCH Paired Practica Program this summer. Through the program, graduate students from SPH Training Programs will be paired with undergraduate students from Howard University and UCLA to work on health transformation projects identified by state Title V programs. This year, participating states include Iowa, Washington DC (2 projects), New Jersey, Rhode Island, Alabama, Colorado, and North Carolina.
For a student application, please visit the National MCH Workforce Center website http://mchwdc.unc.edu/students/