Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Unit

Our Vision

Use rigorous, high-quality, data-driven surveillance, needs assessment, evaluation, and research to improve the health of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) populations which include:

• Women of childbearing age;
• adolescents;
• children;
• infants; and
• children and youth with special health care needs. 

Our Mission

• Provide expertise in applied epidemiology and surveillance to promote public health decisions and recommendations for the best possible health outcomes for MCH populations.
• Conduct research projects based on innovative scientific approaches and advanced statistical analyses to expand the knowledge base on maternal and child health populations.
• Inform public health interventions, programs, and policies by translating timely and accurate surveillance, needs assessment, evaluation, and research into usable and meaningful information.
• Improve surveillance and case review activities in Texas and timely and accurate reporting of data and findings.  

Our Values

• Integrity: trust, transparency, accountability, ethical commitment, reliability, respect.
• Excellence: meet and exceed expectations, continuous improvement, identify and document best practices, promote high-quality outcomes.
• Professionalism: personal and professional accountability, unity within our unit, discipline, inclusivity, diversity.
• Leadership: innovative, proactive, visionary, stewardship.    

Our Functions and Expertise

• Population Health Needs Assessment and Surveillance: To assess the status, needs, and disparities within the maternal and child health population through data collection, data analytics, and geographic mapping.
• Program and Intervention Evaluation: To use mixed-mode data collection to drive maternal and child health program and intervention refinement.
• Measurement and Reporting: To measure and report the impact of health conditions, and respond to data requests by agency executives, legislators, federal and local partners, advocates, media, and the public-at-large.
• Research and Creative Inquiry: To expand the knowledge base by assessing the causes and impacts of health outcomes among maternal and child health populations. To stay current on best practices and cutting-edge methods in the field.
• Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System: To collect, analyze, and report Texas-specific, population-based data on maternal attitudes and experiences before, during, and shortly after pregnancy.
• State Systems Development Initiative: To develop, enhance, and expand maternal and child health data capacity for its needs assessment and performance measure reporting in the Title V MCH Block Grant program.

Have a data request? Email MCH Epi.

View reports produced by MCH Epi at MCH Epi Reports