Welcome from the Center Director

Every year, I watch a new cohort of students walk through our doors, carrying the same quiet conviction: that the health of a mother, an adolescent, a child, and a family can change the trajectory of a community and a nation. It is a privilege to lead the GW Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Education, Science, Practice, and Policy. Our faculty and staff are honored to shape the future by nurturing the next generation of MCH scholars and practitioners who carry that conviction into the world.

Founded on June 1, 2020, through a training grant from HRSA/U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, our Center has grown from a bold idea into a lasting institution. HRSA renewed our grant for an additional five years (2025–2030), and in 2025 The George Washington University recognized us as a permanent Center of Excellence, a milestone that reflects not only where we have been but also the confidence others place in where we are going. We were also awarded new grants to support postdoctoral training and an innovative communications initiative, giving us new tools to advance our mission further than ever.

Under the leadership of Dr. Karen McDonnell, the MCH Program Director, we have approximately 70–90 students—future practitioners, clinicians, researchers, and policy leaders—across our MPH program, dual-degree PA/MPH and BS/MPH programs, the online WYCH concentration in MPH@GW, and our EdX MicroMasters© in MCH. The LEAP Training Program has opened the field of MCH to 41 undergraduates across four cohorts, planting the seeds of public health careers even earlier. Their energy, curiosity, and sense of purpose reinvigorate our mission every year.

Our mission in the last six years has translated into real impact:

• 150+ graduates over the past five years now working in MCH and public health, or advancing their expertise through clinical or academic degrees.
• 47 students supported since the MCH Leadership Training Program launched in 2023, a growing corps of future MCH leaders.
• 23 faculty-led research projects, tackling youth mental health, maternal health equity, gender-based violence, and provider burnout. Truly, research that meets communities where they are.
• 100 Practice Fellowships placing our students directly in the field: 37 with regional health departments and 63 with community partners.
• A shared voice across the region: we co-sponsored a burnout prevention webinar with four peer MCH Centers of Excellence (Drexel, Emory, Harvard Chan, USF).
• Two Health Policy IPE workshops that asked students to grapple with post-Dobbs realities, the latest bringing together 46 students from six GW programs.
• Approximately 30+ student-led events from our GW MCH Student Network, proof that community and mentorship are as central to this work as any classroom.

None of this is a finish line. As we look ahead, we are working to expand our reach into global MCH training, deepening community-based research on local MCH issues, and reimagining how we communicate MCH science to the public. Every one of these efforts exists because we believe the health of women, children, and families is worth showing up for, again and again.

Whether you are considering joining us, already deep in your studies, or building a career, thank you for being part of this mission. 

Amita Vyas, PhD, MHS

 

Director, GW Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health
Professor, Prevention and Community Health & Global Health