Maternal and Child Health Measurement Research Network | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Maternal and Child Health Measurement Research Network (MCH-MRN)

1) What is the MCH-MRN grant opportunity?

The Maternal and Child Health Measurement Research Network (MCH-MRN) is a federal cooperative agreement opportunity from HHS HRSA. It funds the creation and operation of a national research network focused on improving measurement in maternal and child health (MCH), so programs and policymakers can better identify needs, track trends, and evaluate what works.

2) What practical problem is this opportunity trying to solve?

MCH stakeholders often struggle to find, compare, and apply the best available measurement tools. Measures may exist but vary in quality, may not be validated for specific populations or settings, and may not be easy to use in real-world programs. The network is intended to bring more clarity and coordination to this measurement landscape.

3) What is the main purpose of the MCH-MRN?

The network is meant to serve as a national forum and leadership hub for MCH measurement research across the lifespan. It is expected to compile high-quality measures, highlight what is missing, and set a coordinated research agenda that supports better, more usable, and more culturally appropriate metrics for real-world MCH programs.

4) Who and what populations is the network expected to focus on?

The opportunity places special attention on at-risk populations, including mothers, infants and children (including children with special health care needs), adolescents, and families. It also emphasizes addressing the needs of underserved communities such as low-income populations, racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, rural communities, and other groups with limited access to services as defined by the applicant.

5) What kinds of measures should the network prioritize?

The network is expected to focus on measures relevant to program planning, screening, service delivery, intervention design, and clinical decision-making. The emphasis is especially on primary and secondary prevention of disease, injury, and behavioral health issues.

6) What measurement domains might the network cover?

The opportunity describes a wide range of potential measurement domains, including outcomes and system indicators. Examples mentioned include thriving, flourishing, school readiness, executive function, resilience, allostatic load, data capacity, a scale connected to the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) framework, adequacy of pediatric health care utilization, adequacy and content of prenatal care, and adequacy of health insurance coverage.

7) Are the example domains a required or limiting list?

No. The examples are intended to illustrate the breadth of outcomes and system indicators that MCH programs care about and that often lack consistent, validated, easy-to-use tools across diverse communities. The network is not limited to only those topics.

8) What is a major expected product of the MCH-MRN?

A major expected outcome is an evolving, publicly accessible compendium of validated MCH measures. The compendium is intended to help stakeholders quickly identify available measures, what they assess, how well they perform (including validity and other psychometric characteristics), and what populations and settings they were designed for.

9) Is the compendium expected to be a static list of measures?

No. The opportunity describes the compendium as evolving and more than a static list. It should provide practical information that helps stakeholders make informed measurement choices and understand where measures are strong, where they do not fit certain settings or populations, and where gaps remain.

10) How does HRSA expect the network to address measurement gaps?

The network is expected to identify where measures are weak or absent and then support the development, validation, and implementation of new MCH measures to fill those gaps. The intent is not only to catalog what exists, but also to strengthen and expand what is available for real-world use.

11) What does the opportunity say about psychometric quality and validity?

The opportunity emphasizes the need to understand how strong measures are psychometrically, including validity and other psychometric characteristics. Validation work is expected to pay close attention to a measure's purpose, psychometric quality, intended population, and practical context of use.

12) What does “context of use” mean in this opportunity?

Context of use includes the real-world settings and situations where a measure will be applied, including specific life stages, health conditions, special populations, and relevance to Title V performance measurement and related program needs.

13) Which programs and stakeholders are expected to benefit from the network’s work?

The opportunity highlights that the network’s products should support and be useful to Title V and related programs, home visiting initiatives, Healthy Start programs, programs serving children with special health care needs, state and local health departments, and community safety net providers.

14) How will the network help MCH programs in practice?

By making it easier to find and compare measures, clarifying what measures are designed to assess, identifying appropriate populations and settings, and supporting more consistent and validated measurement choices. The goal is to strengthen evaluation and quality improvement efforts and help programs harmonize measurement approaches.

15) What is expected related to equity and cultural and linguistic responsiveness?

Applicants are expected to show how the network will address equity, access, and cultural and linguistic responsiveness. Research activities should be responsive to cultural and linguistic needs, support family-centered and consumer-accessible approaches, and ensure broad representation of culturally distinct and historically underrepresented groups within the network and its work products.

16) What are the major required work areas for the awardee?

The required work is described in several connected buckets: (1) infrastructure development; (2) communications; (3) core network activities that generate the agenda and products; (4) convening and field-building; and (5) dissemination.

17) What is required for infrastructure development?

The awardee must build and maintain an interdisciplinary national network of research entities and demonstrate engagement from at least four disciplines. The network must also identify measurement gaps and develop, update, and translate a research agenda reflecting scientific advances and practical measurement needs of MCHB-related programs.

18) What communications expectations are described?

The network must establish routine, ongoing communication among network members and with the HRSA MCHB project officer, with a predictable structure for collaboration.

19) What collaboration and meeting cadence is expected for the network?

The opportunity states that the network is expected to foster collaboration through ongoing interaction, sharing tools and information, and developing and implementing research studies. It is also expected to hold monthly meetings among network members and/or advisory groups.

20) What is an environmental scan in the context of this grant?

The network must conduct an environmental scan of available measurement tools. Based on the description, this scan is meant to help the network understand what measures already exist, what their strengths and limitations are, and where gaps and challenges remain.

21) How many key informant interviews are expected?

The opportunity specifies completing around 20 key informant interviews to help shape a strategic action agenda aimed at strengthening measurement capacity, particularly for Title V and related programs.

22) Does the network need to coordinate with other federal measurement initiatives?

Yes. The network is expected to coordinate with other federal measurement investments (for example, NIH and AHRQ) to avoid duplication and amplify impact.

23) What convening and field-building activities are required?

The awardee must convene an annual network meeting that includes key MCH stakeholder groups and MCHB representation. The network must also provide mentored experiences for new investigators to strengthen the pipeline of measurement researchers and submit at least one proposal for external funding to help sustain or expand the work beyond the cooperative agreement.

24) What does the opportunity say about “translation” into practice?

The opportunity emphasizes that the network should demonstrate its products are being used in practice. This reflects a focus on translation, meaning the work should be directly useful for public health programming rather than measurement research that remains purely academic.

25) What dissemination deliverables are required?

Dissemination is a required deliverable. The awardee must implement a dissemination plan that includes at least two peer-reviewed publications and at least two webinars. The network must also maintain a website, hold network meetings and other communication activities for multiple audiences, and present findings at one or more national meetings.

26) What audiences should dissemination activities reach?

The dissemination activities are intended to reach researchers, health professionals, policymakers, educators, and families.

27) Are there requirements to share grant-funded products publicly?

Yes. The award requires providing electronic copies of products created with grant support (such as guidelines, publications, curricula, assessment tools, and training materials) so they can be made available to the public and to MCHB.

28) What type of award mechanism is this?

This opportunity is a discretionary cooperative agreement. The cooperative agreement structure indicates that HRSA and MCHB anticipate substantial involvement with the awardee, particularly around alignment with program needs, stakeholder engagement, and ensuring deliverables are useful.

29) What is the opportunity number and CFDA listing provided?

The opportunity is identified as HRSA-16-034 and is under CFDA 93.110.

30) How many awards were expected and what was the original closing date?

The information provided states there was one expected award and an original closing date of May 27, 2016.

31) What is the relationship with HRSA MCHB during the project?

The network is expected to maintain routine communication with the HRSA MCHB project officer. The cooperative agreement approach also signals substantial HRSA/MCHB involvement, especially to ensure alignment with program needs and practical usefulness of the compendium, agenda, and new measures.

32) What does the opportunity require regarding disciplinary breadth?

The network must demonstrate engagement from at least four disciplines, supporting an interdisciplinary approach intended to accomplish more collectively than any single team could do alone.