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 Ososese Enaholo, BS
I was excited to attend CityMatCH this year, and was even more eager to know what Rhode Island had to offer. When we arrived I was surprised by the beauty of Providence, RI, and I was happy to be around other MCHers in such a beautiful place. Other than being in a beautiful space, CityMatCH opened the conference with a speaker that I will never forget. Kitcki Carroll, the executive director of United Southern and Eastern Tribes, Inc. (USET), started the conference off by telling the untold, uncomfortable truth about Tribal Nation-United State relations and its relevance to today’s American Division. Though the truth was hard to see and hear, Carroll mentioned how necessary it is that we know the history of Native Americans, and how the injustice that Natives faced during the discovery of the “New World” have affected their livelihood today. During his speech, Carroll identified the root of this issue, which is ignorance, he stated that in order for us to move forward, we must deal with the past, but we cannot do so if we do not know it. This speech was very memorable, because it was uncomfortable, but I could understand the pain.
Later during the conference I had the pleasure of hearing from Laura Kavanagh, the Deputy Associate Administrator of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, during a panel with other MCHers. Laura gave the federal perspective on MCH, and my peers and I found out that Laura works closely with the Title V Block grant that also funds Tulane CEMCH. I am so grateful to be a part of CEMCH, and for the opportunity to attend conferences like CityMatCH, that I had to introduce myself. I was a bit nervous to meet Laura, but after the hellos, the conversation was so natural. We spoke about the opening session with Kitcki Carroll, and how impactful his words were. We agreed that even though it was hard to hear, it was important to for all of us to know the truth, because these moments of discomfort will lead to growth.
I really enjoyed CityMatCH, because I met and learned from so many MCHers doing different work within MCH. I also got to learn about fathers, and partner involvement when it comes to family health. This was a memorable conference, that left me better than I came.
Ososese Enaholo, BS, is a second-year MPH student, concentrating in Maternal and Child Health. She plans to graduate in May 2020. Her interests include sexual and reproductive health, child and adolescent health, health equity, and racial and ethnic disparities in health, . She also loves hanging out with friends, listening to music, and working out.
