Electives

Students will have the option of selecting and completing one of the following sets of electives courses:

Project Design, Implementation & Evaluation in MCH (2 credits)

The focus of this course is to equip participants with skills in conceptualizing, developing, implementing, and evaluating small-scale projects in health and development. The course will provide instructions on sources of funding for health and development projects, how to assess and prioritize community health needs, how to write projects goals and objectives that are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-framed), how to select appropriate designs (including how to develop project conceptual and theoretical models), how to collect and organize data, how to implement and evaluate the project, including how to develop project logic models, how to develop and justify a budget, how to foster community participation, and approaches to promote project sustainability.

Evidence-Based Methods in MCH (2 credits)

This course will equip participants with skills in evidence-based synthesis, and how to use evidence to advocate for programs and policies. The course will provide instruction on methods for community health needs assessment and priority setting, and how to conduct evidence-based reviews using such standard protocols as the CDC’s Guide to Community Prevention or the Cochrane methodology.

MCH Health Information and Data Systems (2 credits)

This course will equip participants with basic skills in identifying, accessing, interpreting and utilizing MCH data systems (national and state-level).  Students will acquire skills in MCHB’s Title V Information System and other federal data and information systems including (but not limited to) those from the Indian Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Center for Health Statistics and the U.S. Census. They will also learn key skills in data interpretation such as working with small numbers, stratifying data by population sub-groups and examining trends over time. 

Finally, students will be provided with links to on-line resources for future reference.

Cultural Competence for Maternal and Child Health Care (2 credits)

This course will familiarize students with issues and resources associated with cultural and linguistic competence in MCH.   Emphasis will be on populations including: American Indian/Alaskan Native Women, Infants, Children, Youth, Rural Kentucky and Appalachian Women, Infants, Children, Youth, Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs, Gay/Lesbian/Transgender Children & Youth, Women, Children and Youth with mental health challenges and needs.

The course will provide instructions on conceptual frameworks of culture competence, the essential elements of cultural competency in public health practice, cultural awareness for self-assessment, how to use tools for developing cultural competency, and communication in a multicultural environment.