Eight of our MPH students attended the 2019 CityMatCH Maternal and Child Health Leadership Conference, held September 23-25, in Providence, Rhode Island. What follows is a post from one of these attendees.
By Vaughne Chavez-Gray, BS
My time at CityMatch was filled with eye opening experiences that I feel helped me become a better person and future maternal and child health professional. I think the theme of this conference makes me think of a quote my old basketball coach once told me “the comfort zone is a beautiful place to be, but nothing ever grows there.” From the keynote speaker to the ending, I felt myself being pushed out of my comfort zone, listening to these individuals speak about their experiences, their research, and their public health programs. One of the most eye-opening talks was the keynote speaker who spoke about the inequalities of and lack of respect for the Native American people. From the beginning to the end he spoke from a perspective in history that we were not used to hearing. He spoke from a perspective of the Native American people and gave them a voice. He also spoke about history we never heard in our history books and spoke of current news we never hear about. This was a voice that needed to be heard and I wish I could share a video of his speech with everyone I meet. I believe not just as Americans, but as human beings we need to do better when it comes to this topic.
The other part that really stood out to me this trip were the speeches about fathers and men. So often within the MCH community we forget that fathers are an integral part of the field. I remember one interesting statistic I heard was that when a woman has a supportive partner and is in a healthy relationship with them, they produce 30% more breast milk for their child. This male perspective in MCH is lacking. I think it was very refreshing hearing about how different programs/research are making men better fathers, getting rid of this idea of toxic masculinity, helping with a father’s mental health, and ensuring that a child can grow up with the best family possible.
Going into this conference I was not exactly sure what to expect, however leaving it I felt as if I had grown as an individual. My advice to anyone attending any conference in the future, go to talks that are out of your comfort zone/ area of expertise and take that information in, and grow from it. I think that summarizes my experience and I could not be more thankful.
Vaughne Chavez-Gray, BS, is a second-year MPH student, concentrating in Maternal and Child Health. She plans to graduate in May 2020. Her interests include child health, early childhood development, adverse childhood Experiences, mental health, concussion management, and opioid drug abuse in adolescent athletes. She also loves sports, music, the outdoors, and Florida.
