September 16, 2021

Lawryn Fowler, Lani McQuilkin, and Yosselin Turcios, each MPH students in the department of Community Health and Prevention and members of the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Peer Health Educators Executive Board at the Dornsife School of Public Health, completed a Title V MCH Block Grant internship over the summer. The Title V program is a partnership between the federal government and states aimed at promoting the health and wellbeing of mothers, children, and families.

To learn about their experience, we asked a series of questions below.

Lawryn Fowler

Fowler is from Gaithersburg, MD and now living in West Philadelphia as she pursues her MPH with a minor in MCH. She worked at the District of Columbia Department of Health.

Q: In this role, what were your duties?
A: My main objectives included developing an inventory of the existing campaigns, activities, and resources available in D.C aimed at increasing access to preventative care services for women of reproductive age, complete a literature review of social media approaches and digitals tools to improve access to care, and develop a DC social and digital media strategy and messaging aimed at women of reproductive age.

Q: What drives you to work in MCH?
A: As a Black woman in the United States, I have a personal passion to help lessen the inequities that exist in my community.

Q: How have you seen this work have an impact?
A: The work I have been involved in is specifically tailored to help apply evidence-based approaches towards making an impactful change.

Q: What are you most proud of so far in your public health journey?
A: So far I am most proud of the leaps of faith I have taken to get involved in the MCH world. I have been involved in MCH initiatives in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. aimed at addressing the Black maternal health crisis.

Q: Why did you choose to pursue public health as a career and why Dornsife? Mentorship? Co-op opportunities?
A: I chose to pursue public health as a career because of the impact public health professionals have in marginalized communities. I have always been driven to fight for health equity. I chose Dornsife because of the department of Community Health and Prevention, and the dedication to involving the community to create intentional and meaningful change.

Q: What are your hopes for your future career?
A: I hope that with improved policies and community health interventions we will start to see disparities in maternal mortality rates lessen. I hope to be part of that change, educating and providing meaningful impacts for my community.

Lani McQuilkin

McQuilkin is from Sandpoint, ID and currently living in Princeton, NJ. She worked for the Division for Children and Youth with Special Health Needs (DCYSHN) at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH).

Q: In this role, what were your duties?
A: A Massachusetts Title V Action Plan priority is to, “Support effective health-related transition to adulthood for adolescents with special health needs.” The first strategy listed for this priority is to, “Increase access to health transition resources and information for families, youth, and providers.” My co-intern and I helped further this strategy by drafting a holistic health transition toolkit for Massachusetts youth and young adults with special health needs (YYASHN) and their caregivers. We received invaluable guidance from caregivers, young adults, content experts, and the division’s Health Transition Implementation Team, many of whom are parents of YYASHN. In addition to health care, the toolkit topics include self-management and personal health, advocacy, guardianship, public benefits, community support, and caregiver and family wellbeing. We also created an evaluation plan for the toolkit that centers the voices of community members and community partners, such as non-profits and service providers, who will use the toolkit.

Q: What drives you to work in MCH?
A: I am compelled to work with women and children because they are the cornerstones of our communities, yet so many of them bear heavy health burdens due to systemic inequities and discrimination. Increasing access to quality health care, services and resources is a critical and foundational way to help.

Q: How have you seen this work have an impact?
A: The best impacts are made when communities are genuinely listened to and involved in achieving what they advocate for. “Nothing for us without us,” is a phrase that guided our work this summer at MDPH, and it will continue to guide me in my public health career. There is a great need for centralized, holistic, and state-specific health transition resources for YYASHN and their families. Our integral partnership with community stakeholders in the development of the health transition toolkit will make it even more impactful for families in Massachusetts and beyond.

Q: What are you most proud of so far in your public health journey?
A: I am most proud of the work my public health colleagues and peers, as well as community partners, have put into research, projects, mobilization and more over the past year or so. It is inspiring to see how we have persevered and worked together to accomplish great things despite this devastating pandemic.

Q: Why did you choose to pursue public health as a career and why Dornsife? Mentorship? Co-op opportunities?
A: I originally studied to become an Occupational Therapist in undergrad, but I happened to take a couple of community health classes along the way. Once I learned more about public health, and after my internship experience as a transition mentor with young adults at The Arc, there was no going back! I chose Dornsife because the Community Health and Prevention program is exactly what I was looking for, I wanted to learn about public health in an urban setting, and I wanted a quality research experience. I am excited to get back in the city for classes this year!

Q: What are your hopes for your future career?
A: After graduation I hope to be employed at a nonprofit or a local or state health department. I would love to work on projects and programs that promote and advance women’s health or the health of children and youth with special health needs.

Yosselin Turcios

Turcios is an Alexandria, VA, native who recently moved to Philadelphia. She worked for the Indiana Department of Health's Maternal and Child Health Division.

Q: In this role, what were your duties?
A: I was tasked with creating a quarterly reporting tool to monitor and evaluate grant recipient's program goals. Moreover, state Title V programs must complete a Needs Assessment every 5 years to get a comprehensive understanding of the health needs and barriers that women, mothers, and children in their state face. I extracted data from Indiana's 2020 Title V Needs Assessment to create data placemats by population health domains to be disseminated among community stakeholders so they could better understand the top health needs of Indiana’s MCH populations.

Q: What drives you to work in MCH?
A: My previous internships have revolved around breast cancer, child abuse and neglect prevention, and adolescent sexual health. I enjoy working alongside MCH populations and believe that investing in their well-being is critical to improving their livelihoods and attaining health and social equity.

Q: How have you seen this work have an impact?
A: Something I love about public health is that you get to see an impact of your work. For example, bringing awareness to data from the Title V needs assessments can result in funding for dire MCH programs and improve services for MCH populations.  

Q: What are you most proud of so far in your public health journey?
A: I'm proud and grateful for the group of mentors I have gained during my public health journey. As a first-generation student, their guidance has been essential during my education and career, and I hope I can pass down my acquired knowledge to prospective MCH students.    

Q: Why did you choose to pursue public health as a career and why Dornsife? Mentorship? Co-op opportunities?
A: I always knew I wanted to have a career in public service and once I learned about public health, I was hooked. I saw how public health affects every aspect of our lives and knew that this field would allow me to work alongside marginalized communities to diminish health disparities. I chose Dornsife due to the incredible faculty, diverse research focus, and commitment to health equity.   

Q: What are your hopes for the future?
A: Public health is finally getting the attention it deserves because of the pandemic. I hope that people will continue to understand the significance of public health infrastructure, policies, and funding, such as Title V . Personally, I hope to have an impactful public health career and continue advocating for equitable and evidence-based policies that advance the health of marginalized communities.