Healthy Start Engaged Father Program

Dr. Shawna J. Lee works closely with six of the Michigan Healthy Start programs to develop, implement, and evaluate a father engagement program that seeks to: (1) increase fathers’ participation in Healthy Start home visits; (2) increase fathers’ attendance at prenatal and infant health appointments; and (3) increase fathers’ knowledge of infant health and developmental milestones. The participating Healthy Start sites are in Detroit, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and the Hannahville and Keweenaw Bay Indian Communities in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The father engagement program includes the “Engaged Father” packet, father-friendly, evidence-based parent education, based on the American Academy of Pediatrics Bright Futures Guidelines and Text4Dad, a series of simple, father-friendly text messages for fathers to learn about their new baby. This project is currently funded by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund (MHEF) and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). Text4dad is funded by the Fatherhood Research Practice Network (FRPN). 
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Shawna J. Lee, PhD
FUNDING
  • Promoting Infant Health and Wellbeing by Engaging Fathers in Home Visitation
    Detroit Urban Research Center (URC) Planning Grant ($5,000), 02/2019 – 01/2020​; Research Team: Nikole Fox, Shawna J. Lee, Joyce Y. Lee, Missy Kloos, Aimee Cisler, & Ebony Reddock
  • Promoting Infant Health and Wellbeing by Engaging Fathers in Healthy Start Home Visitation
    Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services ($271,737), 10/2018 - 09/2019
    PI: Shawna J. Lee 
  • Testing the Feasibility of an Interactive Mentor-Based Text Messaging Program to Increase Fathers’ Engagement in Home Visitation
    Administration for Children and Families (Children’s Bureau) via the Fatherhood Research Practice Network (FRPN) at Temple University ($25,000), 06/2018 - 09/2019                                    PI: Shawna J. Lee
  • Promoting Infant Health and Wellbeing by Engaging Fathers in Healthy Start Home Visitation
    Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services ($272,755), 04/2018 – 09/2018
    PI: Shawna J. Lee
  • Promoting Infant Health and Wellbeing by Engaging Fathers in Healthy Start Home Visitation
    Funded by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund ($500,000), 01/2018 - 12/2019
    PI: Shawna Lee
  • Enhancing Perinatal Father Engagement in Health Care Settings
    Funded by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund ($92,390), 08/2016 - 09/2017
    PI: Shawna Lee; Co-investigator: Dawn Scharer
  • Genesee Healthy Start Engaged Father Program
    Funded by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services     ($108,348), 01/2017 - 09/2017 
    PI: Shawna J. Lee
RELATED PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS
  • ​Lee, S.J. (2017, August). Healthy Start Fatherhood Initiatives in Michigan: The Genesee County Engaged Father Program. Invited presentation given at the HRSA Healthy Start Regional Conference, Detroit, MI.
  • Black, P., Hart, S., Lee, S.J., & Scharer, D. (2017, August). The Genesee County Healthy Start Engaged Father Program. Presentation at the 2017 Michigan Home Visiting Conference, Grand Rapids, MI. ​
2017 MICHIGAN STATEWIDE MEETING OF HEALTHY START PROGRAM EVALUATION TEAMS
Healthy Start programs across Michigan came together to learn about innovative practices and unique perspectives from Healthy Start organizations statewide. Healthy Start teams presented on a variety of topics including screening tools, racial disparities within their communities, breastfeeding, and Community Health Worker interventions. Plenty of discussion followed each presentation, allowing the opportunity for attendees to share and learn about best practices emerging in the field, as well as to discuss implementation and evaluation challenges and potential solutions.

This event was hosted Dr. Shawna Lee from the UM School of Social Work Parenting in Context Research Lab and Jonathan Lawrence from Ingham County Strong Start Healthy Start. (View agenda)

Attendees (View participant list):
2016 MICHIGAN STATEWIDE MEETING OF HEALTHY START PROGRAM EVALUATION TEAMS
This event was hosted by Dr. Shawna Lee from the UM School of Social Work Parenting in Context Research Lab and Dawn Scharer from Genesee County Healthy Start.

Healthy Start programs across Michigan came together to learn about innovative practices and unique perspectives from Healthy Start organizations statewide. Healthy Start teams presented on a variety of topics including risk screening, breastfeeding, infant safe sleep, and the Genesee County Engaged Father Program. Plenty of discussion followed each presentation, allowing the opportunity for attendees to share and learn about best practices emerging in the field, as well as to discuss implementation and evaluation challenges and potential solutions. (View agenda)

Attendees (View participant list):

EMAIL

parentingincontext@umich.edu

Phone

734-763-6565

ADDRESS

University of Michigan
School of Social Work
1080 S. University
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

connection

​Dr. Shawna J. Lee is Director of the Parenting in Context Research Lab, which operates as a part of the University of Michigan School of Social Work.
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​© 2016 University of Michigan School of Social Work. All rights reserved.