August 15, 2025 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
The Health Resources and Services Administration is continuing its commitment to growing and diversifying the maternal and child health (MCH) workforce by awarding $675,000 to Jihong Liu. An epidemiology professor with more than 25 years in the field, Liu will use the funding to expand and extend the MCH Catalyst program that she launched at the Arnold School in 2020.
With the initial round of funding, Liu collaborated with other USC faculty who have interests and expertise in MCH education, research and/or practice (currently 42 individuals across five departments) to establish the infrastructure for an MCH curriculum. Components included the enhancement of existing MCH classes along with the addition of a new course in the subject.
The team, which included deputy director Linda Hazlett, also developed an MCH graduate certificate, a Graduate Scholars Program, MCH-focused poster and abstract competitions, and the MCH Student Association. Following the initial lead time to get the programs up and running, the MCH Catalyst program has since welcomed 29 students into the graduate certificate program and 10 students have already graduated from the MCH Certificate in the past two years.
The MCH graduate certificate is now the largest certificate program at the Arnold School. Through its Graduate Scholars Program, they have provided research funding and mentorship to five master’s students and 15 doctoral students. These scholars have published seven articles in peer-reviewed journals, with additional manuscripts currently under review, and have delivered 24 oral or poster presentations at national conferences.
“Despite the significant progress made during the past five years with the support from the MCH Catalyst program, active interdisciplinary rich faculty expertise, and strong student interest, we are still facing some challenges to sustaining our existing program,” Liu says. “The Arnold School needs additional funding to enhance our program by expanding the MCH curriculum, offering experiential learning opportunities for graduate students interested in MCH careers, and engaging early- and mid-level MCH faculty in this work.”
With these aims in mind, the upcoming funding cycle (2025-2030) as well as the support from Arnold School Dean’s office will allow the MCH Catalyst program to train 160 graduate students, with at least 20 percent of the participants from underrepresented groups. The team will help ensure that 90 percent of graduate certificate students successfully complete the program, and they will provide support to 10 early- or mid-career faculty.
To provide experiential learning opportunities for students, Director Liu and Deputy Director and MCH Certificate Program Director Myriam Torres will partner with the Title V program and MCH community organizations and will offer fellowship opportunities to help students complete MCH-related practicums. The program will continue to provide tuition supplements for MCH Certificate students who have financial needs and launch a lunch seminar series to connect faculty, students, and local public health professionals.
“Maternal and child health indicators and outcomes rank poorly at the local, state, and national levels,” Liu says. “With this new round of funding, we will be able to expand and strengthen MCH curriculum and faculty capacity to train diverse, skilled, and capable MCH professionals to meet our nation’s current and future needs for a well-trained specialized workforce.”
Through another award from the Health Resources and Services Administration, Liu and epidemiology associate professor Monique Brown created the MCH Leadership, Education, and Advancement in Undergraduate Pathways (LEAP) training program, which provides individual mentoring/academic support and training to undergraduate students from underserved or under-represented backgrounds to enhance their knowledge, skills and interest in MCH-related graduate programs and health care professions. The LEAP program has served 128 undergraduate students, with another 32 participating in the academic year 2025-2026. Nearly 70 percent of LEAP trainees identify as Black and over 45 percent of them are first-generation college students. Collectively, more than 85 percent of these students have received an internship, externship, scholarship, or grant during the program.
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