Child Health and Development Promotion (CDHP) Fellowship

The Child Health and Developmental Promotion (CHDP) Fellowship program is an interdisciplinary training effort supported by both federal (Health Resources Services Administration [HRSA]) and the Mississippi State Legislature and comprises fellows from the following professions: Social Work, Psychology, Psychiatry, Speech-Language Pathology, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Early Intervention, Counseling, Medicine, and/or Nursing. The goal of the CHDP Fellowship is to increase the number of healthcare providers highly trained in early child development to serve the children in Mississippi age birth to six. This goal is accomplished through an emphasis on educational activities to include formal lecture series, various evidence-based trainings, and hands on supervision by early childhood experts. Once per week, the Fellows conduct interdisciplinary evaluations at the Center for Advancement of Youth under direct supervision of fellowship faculty for concerns such as autism spectrum disorder, developmental delays, behavioral problems (e.g., temper tantrums) and more. The CHDP Fellowship is lead by Courtney S. Walker, PhD, Program Director, and oversight is provided by the CHDP Clinical Training Committee.

The Child Health and Developmental Promotion Fellowship is a continuation of the Mississippi Thrive! Fellowship program. Mississippi Thrive! was a five-year, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant that was a partnership between the University of Mississippi Medical Center and the Social Science Research Center (SSRC) at Mississippi State University from 2017 through 2022.

For more information on the CHDP Fellowship, please reach out to Courtney S. Walker, Program Director, cwalker7@umc.edu, Rachel S. Tyrone, Program Coordinator, rtyrone@umc.edu, or Jennifer Curtis, CHDP Clinic Manager, jcurtis@umc.edu.