Check out Indira's poster here!
I was thrilled to be accepted to present a poster at the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) 2024 Annual Meeting, held in Oakland, CA! Attending the conference as both a student presenter and a volunteer was fulfilling and extra exciting because I was always surrounded by fellow MCAH MPH students and LEAP trainees. I was also honored to sponsor three undergraduate executive board members from Students for Reproductive Freedom at UC Davis to present on our work from the 2022-2023 school year!
The theme of this year’s conference was Partnering With Purpose. Our poster explained the successful ongoing partnership between the Students for Reproductive Freedom registered student organization, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, and Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity to promote reproductive justice advocacy at UC Davis. We focused on our Spring 2023 student survey and Sexual Wellness Resource Project, which distributed free emergency contraception, condoms, lube, menstrual supplies, and more to undergraduate students at UC Davis. Some of our key survey results showed that 37% of undergraduate students do not know where to access sexual wellness or menstrual products on campus. We addressed this unmet need by delivering supplies in discreet packaging to student dorms and apartments, in addition to doing public distribution on the quad in an effort to reduce the stigma around accessing reproductive health services. The current undergraduate board was also able to speak about their current advocacy work with the UC Davis student government to set aside more funding to stock campus restrooms with menstrual products.
Exploring the conference sessions taught me about the structures of Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health policies and programs from local and state-level perspectives. One impactful speaker from the VOICES organization in Indianapolis outlined a healing-centered approach for youth who are engaged in the criminal justice system through art and music, mentorship programs, restorative justice training, and housing support. This program is unique in its impact because it is contracted with the state Department of Corrections and thus young adults on probation can be required to utilize their services. Other amazing presentation topics included the SisterWeb Doula Network approach to data collection and the Abundant Birth Project, which provides guaranteed cash supplements to low-income pregnant black women in San Francisco and will soon be scaling up to 5 counties in California!
Many of us in the MCAH MPH ‘25 cohort are taking PBHLTH 215, Anti-Racist and Racial Justice Praxis. We were able to schedule a time to connect in person with our professors, Dr. Zea Malawa and Jenna Gaarde, after they finished their presentation on the Abundant Birth Project. We spent 2 hours together having lunch on a sunny patio, where Dr. Malawa provided input on each of our summer practicum placements, proposed a few capstone project ideas, and gave us advice as we entered the early stages of our careers. This mentorship session was definitely the highlight of the conference for me!
Finally, I loved bonding with fellow MCAH MPH students and the LEAP trainees throughout the conference. Whether we were sharing a volunteer shift, eating ramen together, exploring the Oakland Museum of California, or taking a break from the conference and heading to Cupcakin’, it was super fun to get to know the graduating second-year students and chat with the LEAP scholars about selecting graduate schools and programs!
Thanks to the MCAH Center of Excellence for their support, the Students for Reproductive Freedom executive board members (Ellianna, Aditi, and Annabel) for making the drive from Davis to present with me, Candelaria Vargas at Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, Faith Chinnapong at Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity, and fellow MCAH MPH student Molly for graciously letting me stay with her during the conference!
