East Carolina University's Maternal and Child Health Scholars, Training, and Enrichment Program (MCH-STEP)

Gaps in maternal and child healthcare result in pervasive health disparities that disproportionally affect rural, minority, and socioeconomically disadvantaged women, children, and families. Development of a diverse and representative healthcare workforce is one way to reduce these health disparities and increase access to healthcare for underserved maternal and child health (MCH) populations. Eastern North Carolina (ENC) is a largely rural, poor, and underserved region of the state with health disparities in maternal and infant mortality and lacks MCH health professionals both in quantity and diversity. The project goal is to inspire the interest of rural underrepresented racial/ethnic diverse undergraduate students in MCH-related public health, help them explore and envision MCH-related career paths, and serve as a training program to enhance the diversity of next generation of MCH-related health professionals. ECU is perfectly situated for this project in that it is the 3rd largest public university in NC with ~50% first generation college students, ~30% minority enrollment, and a mission of regional transformation. Increasing access to training, engagement, and retention of diverse underrepresented undergraduate students in MCH-focused career paths will increase diversity and representation among the health care workforce, as well as address health disparities among underserved women, children, and families.

Scholars @ ECU