Alumni Update - Katherine Binkow, MSW, MPH now Certified in Public Health

Belated congratulations to Katherine Binkow, MSW, MPH (May '14) for becoming Certified in Public Health by the National Board of Public Health Examiners in May 2014.  Per the NBPHE, "the CPH designation demonstrates that an individual has mastered foundational competencies in public health.  CPH professionals raise the bar and enhance the public health profession through their exemplary academic and leadership skills."

In order to receive the CPH credential, students must have earned a master or doctoral public health degree from a school or program of public health that has been accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, and must pass the CPH exam.

Congratulations on this great accomplishment!

Meet Our Students - Melissa Middlebrook (Dec '14)

Melissa Middlebrook is pursuing an MSW (Clinical Concentration)/MPH (Health Promotion and Behavior Concentration) with expected graduation in December 2014.  Ms. Middlebrook earned a BA in Psychology from Brevard College.

Her long-term goal is to work in the HIV/AIDS field, specifically in prevention education, outreach, and research.  She also plans to complete a yoga teacher training upon graduation in hopes of working with patients to apply the mind body connection to managing depression, anxiety, medical issues and pain management.

Ms. Middlebrook is currently completing her integrated field placement at AIDS Athens.  As the social work intern, she assists the agency social workers in clinical case management and supportive services for clients and their families infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.  As a public health intern, she assists with testing and prevention outreach throughout the community and is collaborating with the local HIV clinic to conduct a social networks testing strategy to identify new positives to link to care.  Ms. Middlebrook has also conducted an independent research project aiming to understand what specific reason/incident prompted a person to get tested for HIV.  These reasons were recorded anonymously and linked to demographic information, which will be used by AIDS Athens for quality and service improvement purposes.

Additionally, she volunteers with United Hospice giving emotional and social support to patients, and with Conscious Alliance, a non-profit organization committed to distributing food to impoverished communities across the US, which operates through ongoing grassroots food collection and hunger awareness programs throughout the country. 

Visit Ms. Middlebrook’s LinkedIn profile.

Meet Our Students - Joelle Pettus (May '15)

Pettus (right) pictured with classmate Motlagh.

Joelle Pettus, BA is pursuing an MSW (Clinical Concentration)/MPH (Health Promotion and Behavior Concentration) with a Certificate in Non-Profit Management with expected graduation in May 2015.  Ms. Pettus earned a BA in English and Communication from the College of Charleston. 

She is completing her integrated field placement at Athens Regional Medical Center where she has the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of medical social work and research. She aims to evaluate and access workplace wellness and satisfaction while looking into how an integration of social work and public health could best fit in the hospital setting.

Ms. Pettus' interest areas are aging, nutrition and walkability. Upon graduation, Ms. Pettus is considering applying to a PhD program, with a long-term goal of research professorship. 

Ms. Pettus was awarded the competitive Pauline M. Berger Graduate Assistantship, in which she receives tuition remission and a stipend to assist a social work professor with field research and publication work. In this position, she assists Dr. Michael Holosko with research, editing, and writing on topics such as program evaluation, research methods, and accessing health and human service organizations. 

Visit Ms. Pettus’ LinkedIn profile.

News Items

Dual degree students join the conversation at third annual state of public health conference 

Joelle Pettus authors book review published in the Social Work and Public Health Journal

MSW MPH students support National Public Health Week

Alumni Update - Leah Klein, MSW, MPH (May '14)

We just received an update from Leah Klein, MSW, MPH (May '14), who is now working as the Social Services Director at Pepper Hill Nursing Center.

Ms. Klein's main responsibility is to oversee the Social Services Department, which includes many duties. With the help of an assistant, she explains Medicare and Medicaid benefits to potential residents and their responsible parties and assists with applications, creates discharge and care plans in collaboration with the resident and medical staff, administers mental health assessments as requested by the physicians, completes MDS assessments when a new resident is admitted, then quarterly and annually thereafter, files and follow-ups on grievance reports, and attend lots and lots of meetings.  Most importantly,she provides support to residents and their families during a difficult and transitional time in their lives.

About her education, Ms. Klein notes, "I am certain that I will be able to utilize my education in both social work and public health.  As this is a healthcare setting, it is my responsibility to educate residents and their family members on ways to sustain mental and physical well-being.  I will provide a quarterly in-service to family members of residents on different areas of interest, mostly surrounding self-care, community resources, and benefits for caregivers.  Because of the varied responsibilities of this position, I believe my dual degree made me a strong candidate for the job."

Congratulations Ms. Klein!

Meet Our Students - Mark Flanagan (Dec '15)

Mark Flanagan pictured with partner Gretchen Wagner.

Mark Flanagan, MA, is pursuing an MSW (Clinical Concentration) and MPH (Health Promotion and Behavior) with expected graduation in December 2015.  Mr. Flanagan also earned a MA in Medical Anthropology from Georgia State University and a BA from the University of Nortre Dame.

Mr. Flanagan is interested in domains of stress-reduction and management (employing tools such as Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction), PTSD treatment, healthy food promotion and access, healthy lifestyle promotion, and the social determinants of health.  His MA work focused on understanding the connection between culture, pharmacology, and physiology as it relates to substance addictions and process addictions, with special interest in how it impacts marginalized individuals and communities such as ethnic minorities and the poor and homeless.

Before pursuing his dual degree, Mr. Flanagan worked as a Development Associate at Truly Living Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture, where he conducted program evaluation, coordinated fundraising activities, wrote grants, managed student research by Emory, Georgia State, and Georgia Tech health sciences graduate students, and organized community outreach, raising awareness of healthy eating options and urban agriculture techniques in low-income, food desert neighborhoods.

Upon graduation, Mr. Flanagan aims to work in a hospital or outpatient facility occupying roles as a mental health clinician, care coordinator, and treatment program manager.  He wants to combine direct individual and family care with a program evaluation and population health focus to enhance community wellbeing.  Eventually, Mr. Flanagn would like to pursue a doctoral degree to combine his interests in social work, public health, and anthropology.

Learn more about Mr. Flanagan by visiting his LinkedIn profile.

Meet Our Students - Alexandra Fitzsimmons (Dec '15)

Alexandra Fitzsimmons, BA is pursuing an MSW (Clinical Concentration) MPH (Health Promotion and Behavior Concentration) with expected graduation in December 2015.  Ms. Fitzsimmons earned a BA in Foreign Affairs, with a specialization in South Asia in 2006 from the University of Virginia.  She has also completed coursework and supervision as an assistant applied behavior analyst.

Ms. Fitzsimmons was awarded the Feldman Health Disparities Award from the University of Georgia College of Public Health in 2014.  The award provides the opportunity to develop a greater understanding of health disparities and the outcomes faced by underserved and disadvantaged populations, to disseminate information about these health disparities, and to develop and participate in activities designed to address the problem of health disparities for these populations.  Ms. Fitzsimmons’ award will provide funding support for a community-based internship and study abroad in Israel for global health leadership.

Ms. Fitzsimmon’s interest areas are in the areas of global health, cognitive and physical disabilities, mental health, and in the adoption/foster care system, both domestically and internationally. 

Currently, she works as a graduate assistant for the Dean’s Office in the College of Public Health, where she provides support for undergraduate and graduate recruitment activities as well as college events.  Additionally, she has experience as a community support provider and an instructor for children and teenagers with autism spectrum disorders, as well as for non-native English speakers in the U.S. and abroad.  Ms. Fitzsimmons is also a certified yoga instructor and fluent in Spanish.

Related News Items

Alexandra Fitzsimmons receives Feldman Health Disparities Award for Summer Research

Ali Fitzsimmons (Dec '15) selected to participate in Leadership UGA