Child and Family Health

Leadership Training Program

The UCLA Child and Family Health Leadership Training Program provides interdisciplinary training in maternal and child health practice, research and policy analysis for health professionals enrolled in the Master of Public Health (MPH) program at the UCLA School of Public Health. The program offers advanced professional training in the design of family-centered health services, formulation and analysis of policy options, advocacy for children and families, and research and evaluation of health systems serving mothers, children, families and communities. Basic curriculum for the training program includes epidemiology, biostatistics, health services, environmental health and behavioral sciences, as well as research and analytic methods, policy and program planning and evaluation, with advanced courses in child health policy, nutrition, perinatal health and other MCH areas.  Leadership development is accomplished through coursework, internships, mentorships, and participation in local community-based planning organizations serving children and families. Trainees receive annual stipends and tuition and are admitted from all departments within the School of Public Health. Funding for this program is through a federal MCH Training Grant. The training program is housed in the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities, which is dedicated to providing children with the best opportunities for a healthy life and productive future.

 

Selected Courses

• Child Health, Programs, and Policies
• Leadership in Health Care and Public Health Organization
• Community Organization
• Evolving Paradigms of Prevention: Interventions in Early Childhood
• Interventions in Adolescence
• Pregnancy and Childbirth: Policy Issues Beyond Prenatal Care
• Reproductive Health
• Planning Family Health Programs
• Child Advocacy: Skills for Effective Action

 

Participating Faculty & Fields of Interest

Neal Halfon, MD, MPH, Director - child health policy and financing; children with multiple health care needs; access to care; service orientation and coordination 
Deborah Glik, ScD - health communication and program evaluation; health behavior; international health
Charlotte Neumann, MD, MPH, Associate Director - maternal and child health and nutrition in the US and internationally
Martin Anderson, MD, MPH - adolescent health; training in adolescent medicine
Carol Archie, MD, MPH - perinatal health; substance abuse; adolescent pregnancy
Marion Taylor Baer, PhD, RD - children with special health care needs; nutrition services
Linda Bourque, PhD - intentional/unintentional injury; psychological assessment; research methods and study design
Helen Duplessis, MD, MPH - child health services organization; quality of care standards
Jonathan Fielding, MD, MPH, MBA - health policy; health promotion; community health improvement; system organization and finance
Osman Galal, MD, PhD - child growth, nutrition and development; international health
Kim Gregory, MD, MPH - prenatal and perinatal care; perinatal health care research
Gail Harrison, PhD - maternal and child dietary assessment/interventions; international health
Lynn Kersey, MPH, MA - MCH advocacy and policy; access to care; reproductive health
Wendy Lazarus, MSPH - MCH advocacy and policy; community health monitoring
Joanne Leslie, PhD - nutrition; international health; reproductive health; child survival
Victor Perez, MD, MPH - health disparities of Latino children; cultural issues pertaining to maternal and child health; place-based community development for culturally diverse, underserved populations
Michael Regalado, MD - early child development; early intervention services
Kathryn Smith, RN, MN - access to health care services for children with special health care needs
Antronette Yancey, MD, MPH - adolescent health; health communications

 

Applying to the Program

Requirements for admission to the Child and Family Health Training Program follow:
• Advanced health professional degree (e.g., medicine, nursing, dietetics, social work, physical therapy, dentistry) and at least two years of experience working in the field
• Admission to the UCLA School of Public Health
• Statement of purpose outlining career goals in Child and Family Health
• Personal interview
To enroll in the School of Public Health, request an application from:
UCLA Graduate Admissions Office 1247 Murphy Hall 405 Hilgard Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90024-1419 or apply online at:  http://www.ph.ucla.edu/students_apply.html

For more information, please contact Moira Inkelas, PhD, MPH, Assistant Director, UCLA Child and Family Health Program.