Current position: Manager of Analytics and Quality Improvement at The Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey
Valerie Pineiro, MPH graduated from Dornsife School of Public Health in 2020 with a major in Community Health and Prevention (CHP) and a minor in Maternal and Child Health (MCH).
During her time at Dornsife, Pineiro completed her Integrated Learning Experience (ILE) at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in the Teen and Young Adult Clinic, working on a research study on side effects of arm implant birth control.
What drew you to MCH?
Pineiro says, “My interest in MCH began during my undergrad at LaSalle University. Senior year, I took a reproductive health for health practitioners course, and I loved it and thought it was so interesting. I learned so much and when I decided to go for my master’s degree, I wanted to find something that fit into reproductive health and children’s health."
"The MCH minor at Dornsife was the perfect fit for me. MCH is so important yet underserved, and not talked about enough. We need more people talking about MCH and maternal mortality and morbidity.”
How are you using your current MCH training?
After graduating from Dornsife, Pineiro started a position as a Program Manager for the Child Protective Program at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children where she managed a Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant. VOCA grants provide victims with funds to cover funeral, medical, and crime scene cleanup costs, among other things. In this role, Pineiro worked closely with patients and families, managing VOCA distribution funds and hiring positions to support programming.
Pineiro then worked as a Program Coordinator at The Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey, which is one of three MCH consortiums across New Jersey, licensed and funded by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services.
As a Program Coordinator, Pineiro helped disseminate COVID-19 testing and vaccination information with the goal of increasing COVID-19 education in lower income areas.
After 9 months of working as a Program Coordinator, she transitioned to the Quality Improvement (QI) team at the Partnership, initially starting as the Quality Improvement and Planning Coordinator. Since December 2023, Pineiro has been the Manager of Analytics and Quality Improvement at the Partnership.
Pineiro says, “In my current position, I have been allowed to take on a level of responsibility that has improved my confidence in my work and my ability to communicate with key stakeholders in the public health space. Through being the manager of the QI team, I have become the lead communicator of Northern New Jersey birth certificate data for the 26 birthing facilities that partner with the Partnership. This has strengthened my skill set in not only data analysis, but also data visualization."
"With these skills, I have been selected and made two presentations at the American Public Health Association (APHA) conference; a poster presentation in 2024 on breastfeeding rates and the benefits of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (I actually had the opportunity to meet directly with the CEO of Baby Friendly USE and present my findings) and an oral presentation in 2023 on gestational diabetes rates in Asian-American women in Northern New Jersey (this was my first APHA abstract submission, so it was very exciting to not only be accepted, but to have a speaking presentation).”
How did your time as a MCH trainee at Dornsife influence your career?
Pineiro says, “The people involved with MCH at Dornsife make you want to get more involved in MCH and remind you of the reasons why you’re doing the work that you do. Both Dr. Turchi and Dr. Davis are amazing. They continue to reach out to me and push me to be more involved in MCH work. We are blessed to have people that are going to reach out to you and encourage you, even after you graduate.”
Advice to current and future MCH students?
Pineiro has two important pieces of advice for current MCH students:
To start, she says to keep up to date with what is happening in the town, city, county, etc. that you want to work to have the best information available and to stand out in interviews. She says, “People that are hiring love when you do your research and know about the organization or problem you’re going to work to fix. Just a quick Google search will do. Know what is going on in the community and be able to have a conversation about it. Something so simple, and you can stand out to your future employer.”
Second, Pineiro says “The job search is tough, but don’t get discouraged during the job hunt. It took me time to find my job, but you will find the right fit and it will work out.”