Milton Kotelchuck, PhD, MPH Maternal and Child Health Department

1. Creating the Political Will to Educate and Train the Public Health Workforce on Preconception Health and the MCH Life Course Model Milton Kotelchuck, PhD, MPH Maternal and Child Health Department Boston University School of Public Health Preconception Care Summit Oakland, California October 30, 2007

2. Richmond & Kotelchuck, 1983

3. Creating the Political Will to Educate and Train the Public Health Workforce on Preconception Health and the MCH Life Course Model • Political will is more than financial resources • Policies, capacity, willingness, and funds • The best way to begin to create political will is by starting to directly address the issue

4. Creating the Political Will to Educate and Train the Public Health Workforce on Preconception Health and the MCH Life Course ModelBroad Educational and Training Needs • Engage students in the desire to learn about preconception health and the MCH life course model • Develop faculty who can address the intellectual content and skills of preconception health and the life course model • Create a pedagogy (content and skills) to teach about preconception health and the MCH life course • Make a for time / place in curriculum to address preconception health and MCH life course model, for a full range of long-term, short-term, and CE MCH trainees • Link to ongoing research/evaluations and practice preconception health and MCH life course to enhance the proposed curriculum • Meet the needs of MCH agencies for future and current staff with preconception health and MCH life course model skills and knowledge • Meet the needs of MCH communities and political supporters for training of MCH professionals with preconception health and MCH life course model skills and knowledge

5. Creating the Political Will to Educate and Train the Public Health Workforce on Preconception Health and the MCH Life Course ModelCreating Student Demand • Encourage students to request/demand training in preconception health and the MCH life course model • Offer appropriate courses; students vote with their feet • Add preconception health and the MCH life course model to Department web sites • Ask about preconception health and the MCH life course model on all surveys of student interests • Take/send students to preconception health conferences, like this Summit • Involve students on faculty preconception health and MCH life course research and practice projects

6. Creating the Political Will to Educate and Train the Public Health Workforce on Preconception Health and the MCH Life Course Model Develop faculty capacity and buy-in • Enhance our own professional training (at conferences, grand rounds, etc.) • Train our field’s opinion leaders / innovators • Engage faculty intellectually / pedagogically in discussions / writing about what we would teach differently with a MCH life course orientation • Have realistic expectations for faculty buy-in (keep readiness to change models in mind) Currently life course models are not well integrated into MCH curriculum

7. Creating the Political Will to Educate and Train the Public Health Workforce on Preconception Health and the MCH Life Course Model Training Opportunities for Faculty Development • ATMCH sessions focused on pedagogy • AMCHP sessions focused on the MCH life course model, staffing training, and training needs • MCH EPI sessions focused on data / analytic implications of preconception health and MCH life course model • Preconception health and the MCH life course model (skills / content) should be offered at every MCH related meetings • Develop broad conferences, and single theme workshops on preconception health and the MCH life course model The goal is to move these topics from innovators and early adopters to broad consensus of MCH professionals

8. Creating the Political Will to Educate and Train the Public Health Workforce on Preconception Health and the MCH Life Course Model Create Curricular Opportunities • Change/utilize ATMCH Core Competencies • Build on MCH Bureau Leadership Competencies • Add preconception health / MCH life course model questions to the new public health licensure examinations • Foster interdisciplinary training (and research) on life course issues, such as chronic illnesses

9. Creating the Political Will to Educate and Train the Public Health Workforce on Preconception Health and the MCH Life Course Model Changing the MCH Bureau's MCH Leadership Education Training Grant Objectives • Participate in MCHB training grant planning • Request “preconception health and MCH life course model” be included in upcoming MCPH training grant renewal, • and in all other MCH training grants • And in all types of training (long and short-term, CE, distance ed) • Model after “family-centered care” inclusion

10. Creating the Political Will to Educate and Train the Public Health Workforce on Preconception Health and the MCH Life Course Model • Align the MCH Life Course Models to other life course models and approaches • Preconception health and health care • Life course models in cardiovascular health, diabetes, … • Pediatric/ child development life course models

11. Creating the Political Will to Educate and Train the Public Health Workforce on Preconception Health and the MCH Life Course Model Strengthen the Knowledge Base • More preconception health and MCH life course research (both basic and applied) will create more demand for training • More research and evaluations will add to the creative capacity to examine, and ultimately teach about, the MCH life course in academia • More successful preconception health and MCH life course programs will create more demand for training This concept represents the arrows in the larger Richmond & Kotelchuck health policy model

12. Creating the Political Will to Educate and Train the Public Health Workforce on Preconception Health and the MCH Life Course Model Increase MCH Agency (Employer) Demand • Educate MCH agency leadership in preconception health and the MCH life course model • Be innovative in engaging MCH agencies and their employees in understanding preconception health and the MCH life course model – offer variety of in-house training, continuing education, CityMatCH collaborative activities • Work with staff to get their ideas and input into the implementation of these models, and generate employee enthusiasm • Ask employers (on surveys) what MCH life course skills they seek in new and current MCH employees • Help employers appreciate the link between the MCH issues they address, such as disparities, and the conceptual strengths of the MCH life course paradigm

13. Creating the Political Will to Educate and Train the Public Health Workforce on Preconception Health and the MCH Life Course Model Gain Community and Political Support • Create demand (for training) for preconception health and the MCH life course model among community groups. These models address issues, such as disparities, racism, that are of concern to them • Work closely with the Summit’s consumer work group – to increase our effectiveness and our messages • Advocate for training among politicians as part of any larger preconception health or MCH life course initiative. • Work closely with the Summit’s consumer and policy/advocacy workgroups to increase our effectiveness and messages for politicians • Link up with (and don’t compete with) other efforts to get (MCH) public health training support

14. Creating the Political Will to Educate and Train the Public Health Workforce on Preconception Health and the MCH Life Course Model Obtain Financial Resources for Training • Foundations • MCHB / BHPr Training grants / module development • Federal SPRANS innovation projects • CDC’s future preconception health training initiatives Currently there is little direct funds for training

15. Creating the Political Will to Educate and Train the Public Health Workforce on Preconception Health and the MCH Life Course Model • The current level of “political will” for education and training is meager • But with imagination, hard work and leadership, there are lots of opportunities to create political will for education and training of the public health workforce • This Preconception Care Summit has been very effective at creating new political will for education and training • We look forward to hearing your ideas on how to create further political will