Field Placement:  LA County Department of Public Health: Maternal, Child, & Adolescent Health
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Preceptor: Diana Ramos
Student Name: Laura Camberos
Year: 2008

This Preconception Health Internship was held at the Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Programs (MCAH) within the Los Angeles (LA) County Department of Public Health from June to September 2008. Three projects were completed with Diana Ramos MD MPH, the Director of MCAH Reproductive Health and a member of the Los Angeles Preconception Health Collaborative. The purpose of these projects was to assist MCAH and the Preconception Health Collaborative in their efforts to spread preconception health care among LA County women.

The first project was, “Evaluation of the Preconception Health Curriculum.”  The purpose of this project was to analyze pre and post questionnaires from The ABCDE’S to a Healthy Future: Speaker Bureau’s Preconception Health Curriculum and to make recommendations on how to improve the curriculum. An abstract was also created and submitted for publication.

The second project was, “Preconception Health Messaging Among College Women.” The purpose of this project was to conduct focus groups with undergraduate and graduate students in LA County to assess their preconception health knowledge and behaviors and to find types of social marketing messaging they would respond to.  Work included creation of a focus group script, informed consent form, pre and post discussion questionnaires, and a preconception health handout. Institutional Review Board approval was also gained. Focus group findings were distributed at the California Preconception Health Council Meeting and an abstract was also submitted for publication.

The final project was, “Incorporating Preconception Health into the Comprehensive Perinatal Services Program (CPSP).”  The purpose of this project was to present preconception health information in the CPSP monthly trainings for CPSP workers to incorporate it into their encounters.  Work included creation of a PowerPoint presentation, pre and post questionnaires, and handouts. Results were distributed at the California Preconception Health Council Meeting.

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