UTK Trainee Spotlight: Marissa McElrone

Marissa has been a funded MCH Nutrition Leadership, Education and Training Program trainee at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville since January 2016. This blog post entails her recent appointment as an ambassador in the MCHB Trainee Ambassador Group.

MCHB’s Trainee Ambassador Group (TAG)

Starting this January 2018, I will be serving a 12-month term as a member of the Trainee Ambassador Group (TAG). Established by MCHB’s Division of MCH Workforce Development (DMCHWD) in 2015, TAG is an ongoing vehicle for working collaboratively with trainees of the MCH Training Program. TAG is composed of trainee representative from a range of DMCHWD programs including:

• Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH)
• Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND)
• MCH Nutrition
• MCH Pipeline
• Pediatric Pulmonary Centers (PPC)
• Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics (DBP)
• Centers of Excellence in MCH (CoE)

 The goals of the TAG are to foster connections between trainees across the MCH Training Program, provide trainees with leadership development opportunities, and strengthen the link between trainees and MCHB.

Through the TAG, MCHB is:

1. Strengthening the link between trainees and MCHB
2. Increasing awareness about the importance of utilizing and engaging trainees
3. Increasing current trainee awareness/knowledge about the full range of training programs
4. Improving communication and collaboration among trainees within and across training programs
5. Facilitating connections between current and former trainees
6. Providing trainees with additional leadership development opportunities

The TAG provides trainees with the opportunity to conceptualize, develop, and lead efforts to facilitate trainee connections via activities such as a mentoring program, trainee forums, and collaborative research projects.

For information about eligibility and TAG ambassador roles and responsibilities visit the TAG informational page on the MCHB website. Also, check out this TAG introductory video the 2015 cohort created. I look forward to sharing more about my experiences on TAG as the year continues!