In the wake of recent mass shootings in Buffalo, Uvalde, and Highland Park, and too many others, we discuss the mental health implications of racially motivated and gun violence on children and their families with Stacy Scott, PhD, MPA, Executive Project Director and Equity Lead at NICHQ, and Becky Russell, MSPH, Senior Director of Applied Research and Evaluation at NICHQ.

Lyndsay Brooks (she/her) is a 2022 summer intern on NICHQ’s Marketing and Communications Team. Originally from Davidsonville, MD, Lyndsay is now a Master’s of Public Health student at Boston University (BU) studying Health, Policy, and Law and Maternal and Child Health (MCH). Lyndsay brings with her a background in public health, Medicaid policy, and pediatric healthcare. When she is not studying or working, she enjoys baking, knitting, and hiking. This summer, as a part of her Personal Quality Improvement Project, Lyndsay has also been training for a 5K.  

Elyse Anderson (she/her) is a Healthy Start Intern Summer 2022 at NICHQ. She is a Master of Public Health student at Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH). Elyse is studying Community Assessment, Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation (CAPDIE) and Maternal and Child Health (MCH).  She is from a town outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Elyse has a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders. After her undergraduate studies, Elyse worked at a children’s hospital in pediatric audiology. Elyse is the middle child of five. Her older brother has Autism, which has inspired her interest in pediatric public health work. Elyse’s summer QI project is on developing healthy morning habits to increase her productivity throughout the day. 

Lucia (Lucy) Burzynski (she/her) is a Marketing and Communications Intern this Summer at NICHQ. Born and raised in Milwaukee, she is currently a Master of Public Health student at Boston University specializing in Community Assessment and Program Design and Maternal and Child Health. Her Summer QI project is centered around spending more time with friends. Outside of her internship and school Lucy enjoys watching basketball, going for walks, and singing.  

Here, NICHQ Executive Project Director and Engagement Lead Kenn Harris shares his experience with the Federal Healthy Start Program and encourages organizations to dive deeper when addressing equity.

Earlier this year, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that maternal mortality rates increased during the first year of the pandemic, continuing a decades-long trend of increasing pregnancy-related deaths. With our Joint Organizational Commitment, NICHQ acknowledges that racism is a public health crisis and lays out our commitments to critically analyze and change our organizational systems with the goal of advancing racial equity.