The Saint Louis University Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Education, Science and Practice engages in academic-practice partnerships to provide maternal and child health scholars with exceptional academic, research, leadership and practical training.
We are proud to be one of 13 Centers of Excellence funded by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau and the only one in Region 7, which includes Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa.
We cannot begin to talk about maternal and child health and women and children without talking about and addressing social justice and the racial inequalities and inequities that exist in and throughout our society. The SLU MCH program holds a special place in my heart because that is exactly what we did.”
Jade Conway, M.P.H. ‘20
Our Mission
The overall mission of the Saint Louis University Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Education, Science and Practice is to strengthen and diversify the maternal and child health public health workforce in Region 7, and in turn, improve the health status of women, children and families in the region and the United States.
Our Goals
- Increase the recruitment and retention of diverse students into Saint Louis University's Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) maternal and child health concentration, and provide scholarships and resources to support these students.
- Enhance SLU's maternal and child health program by infusing the curriculum with racial and social justice values and implementing an interdisciplinary certification in maternal and child health.
- Identify and enhance cross-disciplinary internship training throughout Region 7.
- Expand a maternal and child health advisory board of faculty and regional maternal and child health professionals and engage in innovative academic-practice partnerships.
- Provide continuing education, technical assistance, and leadership skills to existing maternal and child health professionals throughout Region 7.
- Professor, Epidemiology, Saint Louis University
- Department Chair, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Saint Louis University
- Program Director
- Associate Professor, Social Work, Saint Louis University
- Associate Program Director
- Program Manager
- Executive Director, CityMatCH, Omaha, Nebraska
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Asignee to the State of Nebraska
- Director, Community Mobilization and Advocacy, Generate Health, St. Louis, Missouri
Susan Kendig, M.S.N., J.D., WHNP-BC, FAANP
- Adjunct Assistant Professor, Public Health, Saint Louis University
- Women’s Health Integration Specialist, SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri
- Director, Title V Maternal and Child Health, Iowa Department of Public Health
- Director, Title V Maternal and Child Health, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
- Director, Title V Maternal Child Health, & Public Health Nursing Coordinator, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
- Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis
Pamela Xaverius, Ph.D., M.B.A.
- Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship at Loyola University Chicago
- Annie Garner, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Clinical Program
Department of Psychology
MCH Interests: Parenting, ADHD, Driving Safety - Denise Côté-Arsenault, Ph.D., RN, FFAN
Hemak Endowed Professor of Maternal Child Nursing Research Institute Fellow
College of Nursing
MCH Interests: Pregnancy, Lactation, Pregnancy loss/infant death, Mental health for bereaved parents - Dixie Meyer, Ph.D.
Professor
Family and Community Medicine
MCH Interests: Parent/child relationships, Perinatal mood disorders, Family - Ellen Barnidge, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Associate Professor
Department of Behavioral Science and Health Education
Interim Dean
College for Public Health and Social Justice
MCH Interests: Childhood food insecurity - Enbal Shacham, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.P.E.
Professor
Behavioral Science and Health Education
Faculty Co-Lead, Geospatial Institute at Saint Louis University
MCH Interests: Spatial and behavioral epidemiology - Jennifer Bello-Kottenstette, M.D., M.S.
Assistant Professor
Family and Community Medicine
MCH Interests: Reproductive wellness of women with substance use disorders; Health of women, children, and their families - Justin Josephsen, M.A., M.D.
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
MCH Interests: Neonatology, Quality Improvement across regions, Newborn resuscitation, Healthcare inequities - Kara Christopher, Ph.D., M.S., M.P.H.
Department of Neurology
MCH Interests: Perinatal complications after metabolic or weight loss surgery (WLS);Stroke risk in women of reproductive age and during the perinatal period; impact of mental health on stroke and stroke risk, Health inequities, Systemic racism - Lauren D. Arnold, Ph.D., M.P.H., CPH
Associate Professor; Epidemiology
Director
Biostatistics, Health Management and Public Health undergraduate programs
MCH Interests: HPV vaccination, cervical cancer prevention, oral health/cancer, cancer disparities, COVID-19 - Lauren Landfried, Ph.D., RD, LD, FAND
Director, Didactic Program
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
MCH Interests: Maternal and child nutrition, Access - Margaret Rozier Chen, MD, FAAP
Department of Pediatrics, SLU School of Medicine
MCH Interests: Newborn medical care, PMADs, Breastfeeding medicine, Breastfeeding education and support in minority and low-income communities - Michael Vaughn, Ph.D.
Director, Ph.D. Program
School of Social Work
MCH Interests: Early development of antisocial behavior and interventions that modify its course - Maria J. Romo-Palafox, Ph.D., RDN, LD
Assistant Professor
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
MCH Interests: Social, cultural, and environmental determinants of maternal-child dietary patterns; Establishing healthy dietary habits as a cost-effective public health strategy to prevent chronic diseases via culturally tailored interventions, policy, and environmental change - Niraj Chavan, M.D., M.P.H., M.S.M.S.
Associate Professor, Medical Director, WISH Clinic
Assistant Director, MFM Fellowship Program
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
MCH Interests: Substance use in pregnancy, Health disparities, Perinatal health equity, Maternal morbidity and mortality, Implementation science, Preterm birth prevention - Oluwatoyosi (Olu) Owoeye, Ph.D., M.S., B.P.T.
Assistant Professor
Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training
MCH Interests: Injury prevention in youth sports, Implementation science - Pamela Xaverius, Ph.D., M.B.A.
Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship at Loyola University Chicago
MCH Interests: Preconception health, Prenatal care, Birth outcomes, Health equity - Stephen Edward McMillin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor; Social Work
Associate Professor of Epidemiology
School of Social Work
MCH Interests: Impacts of climate change and air pollution in MCH populations, Promoting 0-3 early childhood development, Child welfare and protection, ACEs, family stability - Yi Li, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
MCH Interests: The effects of maternal chronic conditions on child health via epigenetic modifications - Zhengmin Qian, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor
Department Chair
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
MCH Interests: Preterm birth, Low birth weight, infant mortality, Pregnancy hypertension, Sleep disorders and mental health in women, Health disparities
The Saint Louis University Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Education, Science and Practice provides maternal and child health scholars financial, academic, research, mentoring, and experiential support to enhance their personal and professional growth and equip them with the necessary skills to improve the health of women, children, and families in our region.
Through the Saint Louis University Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Education, Science and Practice, maternal and child health scholars pursue their M.P.H. with a concentration in maternal child health are paired with one of our internationally renowned faculty mentors to work on maternal and child health-related research projects, and receive practicum training with stipends focused on work for agencies in Region 7.
The Saint Louis University Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Education also offers an interdisciplinary maternal child health certificate, which includes core courses that could be counted towards an M.P.H. degree, as well as numerous additional continuing education opportunities, including a yearly webinar, symposium, and seminars related to the maternal child health field.
The following links provide additional learning resources for scholars to further enrich their education and training:
- CDC Reproductive Health Data Resource Tools
- publichealth.org Resources on Maternal Child Health
- HRSA Maternal and Child Health Resources
- Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs
- Generate Health
- CityMatCH
- Maternal and Child Health Digital Library
- MCH Navigator
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (MO DHSS) Resource:
- Overview
- Directory of Services
- Programs
- Division of Administration
- Office of Human Resources
- Division of Community and Public Health
- Division of Senior and Disability Services
- Division of Regulation & Licensure
- MO Title V MCH Block Grant Resources
- Data, Surveillance Systems and Statistical Reports
- Health Alerts, Advisories and Updates
Maternal Child Health (MCH) Title V Resources