The Title V program is administered by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), Prevention and Health Promotion Administration (PHPA), Public Health Services at the Maryland Department of Health (MDH). Current leadership includes:

Maternal and Child Health Bureau:

Shelly Choo, MD, MPH, Director and Title V State Director

Alena Troxel, MPH,  Deputy Director

Prevention and Health Promotion Administration:

Elizabeth Kromm, PhD MSc, Director

Courtney McFadden, MPH, Deputy Director

Public Health Services:

Nilesh Kalyanaraman, MD, Deputy Secretary

Maryland Department of Health:

Laura Herra Scott, MD, MPH, Secretary

The Title V program is managed by the Title V Manager and the Title V CYSHCN Manager, Bailey House, MPH. The Title V Manager left in June 2022.

Within the Maternal and Child Health Bureau there are four offices:

The Office of Genetics and People with Special Health Care Needs (OGPSHCN) is directed by Lauren Whiteman, MPH who also serves as the State Title V Children with Special Health Care Needs Director. The OGPSHCN manages the Children’s Medical Services Program, the Early Hearing Detection Program, the Newborn Screening Follow-up Program, the Genetics Services Program and the Systems Development branch. These programs provide comprehensive support to individuals with special health care needs throughout the course of life. 

The Office of the Maryland WIC Program (OMWIC) is directed by Jennifer Wilson, M.Ed.  The OMWIC is the State’s supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children ages 0-5.  This federally-funded program provides healthy supplemental foods and nutrition counseling and has served the State of Maryland for more than 40 years.  Strong collaboration between WIC and Title V helps to ensure that comprehensive nutrition counseling and services are provided to eligible participants.

The Office of Quality Initiatives (OQI) is directed by NaToya Mitchell, MPH, who started in June 2023. Previously, Alena Troxel served as the acting OQI Director from September 2022 to June 2023. This office oversees Title V efforts regarding infant mortality, maternal mortality and morbidity, the Maryland Child Abuse Medical Provider Network, Fetal Infant Mortality Review, Child Fatality Review, PRAMS, and other special projects of statewide maternal and child health importance. Additionally, this office contains MCHB Epidemiologists and oversees the SSDI initiative.  Such special projects provide support  to ensure infrastructure and population based initiatives are targeted to Title V populations throughout the State.

The Office of Family and Community Health Services (OFCHS) is directed by Samantha Ritter, who started December 2021. This office is charged with the management and oversight of the State’s Title X Family Planning program as well as the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program, PREP, and SRAE, along with various other child and adolescent health initiatives.  These programs provide both direct, enabling, and population-based services across the state to Title V eligible individuals with access to quality services aimed at improving health outcomes. Starting in 2023, the office will also develop a comprehensive reproductive health unit and oversee a clinical training program for women’s health.

The Operations Unit is directed by a Chief Operating Officer, Paula Reynolds, who started September 2021. This office administers grants to the local health departments, federal grants to OFCHS, OQI, and OGPSHCN, and administers contracts and memoranda of understanding. The Office of Operations coordinates with the other four offices on procurements and inventories.

The Healthcare Systems Coordination and School-Based Health Center Unit is directed by the Medical Director, Dr. Benjamin Wormser. He is a board-certified pediatrician. The healthcare systems coordination work includes the Perinatal Support Program, Morbidity, Mortality, and Quality Review Committee, the Perinatal Quality Collaborative as well as the Maryland School-Based Health Centers. The Medical Director also oversees the Maternal Mortality Review Team.

The offices and units work in collaboration to improve the health and well-being of all Marylanders, including those eligible for Title V services through the life course. Using data from the most recent Title V Needs Assessment along with frequent data analyses, program evaluation, and feedback from consumers and providers across the state, these offices work diligently to improve the health outcomes of women, infants, children, adolescents, and children/youth with special health-care needs.

In addition to the MCHB, Title V provides support, outreach, and subject matter expertise on MCH populations and needs across all of PHPA’s administrative bureaus:  the Environmental Health Bureau, the Cancer and Chronic Disease Bureau, Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Outbreak Response Bureau and the Infectious Disease Prevention and Health Services Bureau. These respective bureaus have a variety of programs and populations all with ongoing collaborations with Title V to ensure that their evidence-based and/or evidence-informed programs are well-versed in current maternal and child health care needs and are inclusive in their design and implementation in order to provide strong supports to Title V eligible populations. Examples of programs overseen by these bureaus include, but are not limited to:  injury prevention, oral health, cancer screening and prevention, tobacco prevention and control, chronic disease prevention, immunizations, human immunodeficiency virus prevention and health services, and sexually transmitted infection and prevention.

Title V has a strong presence in all 24 independent jurisdictions across the state.  Funding from the Title V Block Grant, either with federal or state funds, are used by local health departments to develop and implement programming that not only meets the needs of the maternal and child health community, but also aligns with the priorities identified by MDH as part of the 2020 Needs Assessment. All of the maternal and child health efforts implemented at the local level are direct service, enabling services, or public health system building initiatives. Regular ongoing communication and technical assistance is available and provided to local health departments and funded entities by the Title V Program Manager. Rebecca Kemp has been serving as the acting Title V local health department grant monitor.

Title V is well positioned within the state health department to ensure that the funding and the programs are strategically designed, implemented, and aligned with other state health initiatives in order to have the broadest reach and maximum benefit to Title V eligible populations.