A Call to Transform Maternal and Child Health Mentorship to Build Inclusivity, Honor Diversity of Experiences, and Tackle the Root of Health Disparities

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Mentorship should be a transformative experience that propels mentees from one point in their career to another and drives personal growth. Within the field of maternal and child health (MCH), it is considered a critical professional duty. However, MCH has yet to explicitly embrace mentorship practice as a means to address workforce challenges including turnover, knowledge loss, and undue burden on the part of historically oppressed individuals and communities to overturn oppressive systems. Call to Action We advocate for public calls for diversity and equity to be met with strategic enhancement of the practice of MCH mentorship. Transformative MCH mentorship should be used to promote positive identity formation, understanding of self in context, efficacy, and sustained commitment to working with MCH populations in ways that are inclusive and prevent the perpetration of the problematic power dynamics that lead to inequitable outcomes. Recommendations We present recommendations to strengthen MCH mentorship practice. At the individual level, there should be a refreshment of norms and expectations, where mentorship is seen as a uniquely flexible opportunity for mutual learning. At the organizational level, embedding mentorship in all aspects of practice helps establish and sustain a culture of belonging. This transformative organizational culture can attract and retain future generations of professionals that are not only more representative of the populations that MCH programs support but are prepared to authentically elevate the needs and strengths of those populations. These suggestions incorporate best practices from other fields and include ideas for the MCH field in particular.