scholarly journals Dual Master of Social Work – Master of Public Health (MSW/MPH)

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 478-492
Author(s):  
Patricia M. Reeves ◽  
Trina Colleen Salm Ward
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Collaborative Partnerships ◽  
Critical Component ◽  
Master Of Social Work ◽  
Evaluation Plan ◽  
Master Of Public Health ◽  
Mph Program ◽  
Minimal Research ◽  
The U.S

While there has been a proliferation of MSW/MPH programs concurrent with dramatic changes in the U.S. health system, there is minimal research on these programs. The purpose of this article is to describe the conceptualization, development, and implementation of an innovative MSW/MPH program at a southeastern university—the only such program in the state. Our goal as the first two directors of the program, serving consecutively, is to share knowledge and offer “lessons learned” for universities seeking to develop or enhance an MSW/MPH program, as well as agencies interested in forming collaborative partnerships. “Lessons learned” include the importance of strong ongoing communication among all MSW/MPH stakeholders, thoughtful consideration of the time demands associated with the program director’s role, viewing a developmental evaluation plan as a critical component for success, and recognizing the benefits of purposeful linkages between the two disciplines.

scholarly journals Contributions of Public Health Social Work Students to Their Professions and Communities

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-15
Author(s):  
Sue Forster-Cox ◽  
Anna Nelson ◽  
Chelse Lang ◽  
Shammi Gandhi
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Border Region ◽  
Public Health Workforce ◽  
Master Of Public Health ◽  
Mexico Border ◽  
Dual Degree ◽  
The U.S

In the contemporary public health workforce environment, public health social workers (PHSW) bring integrated skills, from both fields, to meet the needs of vulnerable and underserved populations. They receive training in their Master of Public Health/Master of Social Work dual-degree programs, such as the one at New Mexico State University, which serves the U.S./Mexico border region. During their studies, dual-degree students are equipped to address health and human service issues at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels and complete field experience and practicum hours in their communities. Along with practical skills, these students learn culturally responsive/humble ways of being with communities of color and marginalized individuals. After graduation, these emerging career PHSWs enter the workforce in a variety of settings: nonprofit, educational, government, primary care, and more. In this article, the field of public health social work is described in its historic and present forms, followed by PHSWs’ utility to the U.S./Mexico border region, in particular. Finally, we make the call to action for future career PHSWs to engage with this integrated, dynamic, innovative field, and its unique combination of community- and individual-based services and rewards.

scholarly journals Dual Master of Social Work / Master of Public Health Degrees: Perceptions of Graduates and Field Instructors

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 507-521
Author(s):  
Trina C. Salm Ward ◽  
Patricia M. Reeves
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Field Instructors ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
Master Of Social Work ◽  
Master Of Public Health ◽  
University Of Georgia ◽  
The University

Despite growing interest in Master of Social Work/Master of Public Health (MSW/MPH) programs, limited research literature is available on MSW/MPH graduates and none has examined field instructors’ perceptions of MSW/MPH students. This study describes the perceptions and experiences of MSW/MPH alumni and field instructors from a recently implemented MSW/MPH program at the University of Georgia. Electronic surveys were administered to 32 alumni and 34 field instructors; response rates were 71.9% (n=23) and 70.6% (n=24), respectively. Alumni reported satisfaction with the dual degree and utilization of both social work and public health skills in the workplace. Field instructors underscored the complementary skill sets of dually-trained students and noted the added value of MSW/MPH professionals in their agencies. Dually-trained MSW/MPH practitioners are uniquely prepared to address the need for transdisciplinary and interprofessional collaborations to address long-standing social and health issues.

scholarly journals Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public health: online and integrated into core Master of Public Health subjects

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynnell Angus ◽  
Shaun Ewen ◽  
Leanne Coombe
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Student Evaluation ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Public Health Workforce ◽  
Master Of Public Health ◽  
The Public ◽  
Core Subjects ◽  
The University ◽  
Integration Project ◽  
Mph Program

The Master of Public Health (MPH) is an internationally recognised post-graduate qualification for building the public health workforce. In Australia, MPH graduate attributes include six Indigenous public health (IPH) competencies. The University of Melbourne MPH program includes five core subjects and ten specialisation streams, of which one is Indigenous health. Unless students complete this specialisation or electives in Indigenous health, it is possible for students to graduate without attaining the IPH competencies. To address this issue in a crowded and competitive curriculum an innovative approach to integrating the IPH competencies in core MPH subjects was developed. Five online modules that corresponded with the learning outcomes of the core public health subjects were developed, implemented and evaluated in 2015. This brief report outlines the conceptualisation, development, and description of the curriculum content; it also provides preliminary student evaluation and staff feedback on the integration project.

scholarly journals Lessons Learned from a Writing to Learn Program for Public Health Students at the University of Tokyo

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 238212052110320
Author(s):  
Tsuyoshi Okuhara ◽  
Hiroko Okada ◽  
Takahiro Kiuchi
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Writing To Learn ◽  
Master Of Public Health ◽  
Main Target ◽  
State Of Mind ◽  
Curse Of Knowledge ◽  
The University ◽  
Learn Approach

We have taught writing for public health to students completing a Master of Public Health since 2016 in Japan. We adopted a writing-to-learn approach and assigned work to students to write health materials that encourage recipients to perform health behaviors (eg, drafting a poster to encourage lay audiences to adopt preventive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic). We collected students’ work assignments and products from 2016 to 2020 and reviewed them to identify distinctive trends common to all years. We found that there was a curse of knowledge (ie, difficulties to imagine the state of mind of not knowing when knowing something) among students. Students strongly embraced the adage “knowledge is power” and underestimated the difficulties lay audiences face. Their writing was somewhat dogmatic, whereby experts imparted privileged knowledge to ignorant non-experts. However, it is well known that merely imparting knowledge often does not work to educate lay audiences about making better decisions. Debiasing this curse of knowledge among students will be the main target of our writing education.

scholarly journals Lessons Learned From a Peer Writing Coach Program in a School of Public Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 135 (5) ◽  
pp. 700-707
Author(s):  
Jennifer Beard ◽  
Ryann Monteiro ◽  
Mahogany B. Price-Oreyomi ◽  
Vanessa Boland Edouard ◽  
Mary Murphy-Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
First Year ◽  
Master Of Public Health ◽  
Development Organization ◽  
School Of Public Health ◽  
Coach Program ◽  
Academic Year

Clear writing is a critical component of public health research and practice. The ability to convey information in a concise, engaging, and insightful manner influences stakeholder engagement and is the backbone of program and policy development, organization, and implementation. To help master of public health (MPH) students adapt their writing skills to these specialized demands, Boston University School of Public Health launched the Peer Writing Coach Program in 2010 staffed by MPH students. The service is open to all students enrolled in public health classes. They can schedule up to 2 appointments per assignment for both individual and team papers. Student use increased from 55 appointments in academic year 2010-2011 (the first year of the program) to 767 appointments in academic year 2017-2018. For the 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019 academic years, 1128 (74%) of 1530 appointment requests asked for assistance “writing clearly and concisely,” 886 (58%) for assistance “organizing and synthesizing main points of argument,” and 529 (35%) for assistance “tailoring writing for a specific audience.” This case study describes the rationale for creating the program, outlines the chronology of its development since 2010, and provides an overview of peer coach training, student use, and lessons learned as we addressed logistical challenges.

Comparing Student Learning, Satisfaction, and Experiences Between Hybrid and In-Person Course Modalities: A Comprehensive, Mixed-Methods Evaluation of Five Public Health Courses

2020 ◽  
pp. 237337992096366
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Reisinger Walker ◽  
Delia L. Lang ◽  
Melissa Alperin ◽  
Milkie Vu ◽  
Caroline M. Barry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Public Health Education ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Master Of Public Health ◽  
Learning Satisfaction ◽  
Mixed Methods Evaluation ◽  
Student Focus

Schools and programs of public health are expanding online course offerings, particularly in response to the transition to remote learning due to COVID-19. While previous research in the health professions suggests that online and in-person modalities are equally effective in supporting student learning, there is minimal evidence of this in public health education. This evaluation examines the effectiveness of newly developed online or hybrid course sections offered to Master of Public Health (MPH) and Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) students enrolled in on-campus programs. We compared the effectiveness of these new offerings with that of the on-campus in-person courses and hybrid courses in the Executive MPH program. The purposes of this mixed-methods evaluation were to (1) assess student learning across the three course modalities and (2) examine student, instructor, and staff experiences with the modalities. The data included pre- and postcourse student surveys on 17 sections of five courses (precourse response rate: 51% to 98%; postcourse response rate: 12% to 57%), the participating students’ grades, five student focus groups, one focus group with academic advisors, and 11 instructor interviews. The findings indicate that the new online modality was equivalent to the in-person sections for student learning, satisfaction, and engagement. Mean student ratings of confidence in meeting the course learning objectives increased from the beginning to the end of the semester in all sections for all courses. Regardless of the modality, the students reported that the course improved their understanding of key concepts and that they were satisfied with their course. We discuss the lessons learned and recommendations for ensuring high-quality online learning experiences.

scholarly journals A Decade of Training in Global Public Health: Achievements and Lessons Learned

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-35
Author(s):  
Anne Paxton ◽  
Aravind Pillai ◽  
Batya Elul ◽  
Wafaa M. El-Sadr
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Health Program ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Global Health Research ◽  
Public Health Program ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Master Of Public Health ◽  
Wide Range

Accumulating evidence demonstrates an increasing interest among students in global experiences, particularly among students engaged in public health professional training and scholarship. The 2-year Global Health Training Program within the Master of Public Health program at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health was created with the goal of developing global health professionals equipped with skills, experience, and perspectives to address the global health challenges of today and the future. The 2-year Master of Public Health program is interdisciplinary, involving faculty and students from five departments across the School, and offering students a wide range of global health courses selected from the School and University. In addition, students are required to undertake a 6-month, continuous, mentored professional practicum experience in a low- or middle-income country. A total of over 300 students have graduated from this program over the past 10 years. Students have completed practica in 75 countries at global health agencies, academic institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and community-based organizations. The involvement of a large number of faculty in global health research and practice provides a critical asset to the program given the emphasis of the program on applied experience.

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