About the 2020 Virtual CityMatCH Conference
More than 800 professionals and students in the Maternal and Child Health field tuned in online for the 30th annual CityMatCH conference, virtually held September 16-18, 2020 due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Though the conference was held virtually, this did not deter hundreds of attendees from tuning in and engaging with one another. True to the organizational values of CityMatCH, the 2020 conference focused on equity, leadership, and science in the context of two pandemics: racism and the coronavirus.
The conference opened with a prayer from Ms. Octa Keen of the Umónhon (anglicized: Omaha) Tribe, followed by a Town Hall, which allowed attendees to take a collective breath and to acknowledge the trials and tragedies of 2020. Several attendees shared poignant and personal stories of their experiences with racism, Covid-19, and more.
CityMatCH hosted five additional plenary presentations:
- Declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis: What Now?
- Addressing Racism in Maternal and Child Health Through a Reproductive Justice Framework
- Decolonizing Gender in Parent and Child Health
- Political Economy of Race and the Covid-19 Response: An Opportunity for Change
- Data and Racism: How can we do better?
By pivoting to a virtual platform, CityMatCH confirmed what we already knew about our members: they are resilient, adaptable, and deeply committed to the health of parents, families, and children. Though there are crises competing for the time and resources of MCH professionals, they continue to show up, share their research and innovations, gain new skills, and fight to improve Maternal and Child Health outcomes.
2020 Conference Archive