Alumni Update - Amber Flanigan, LMSW, MPH, CHES (Dec '15)

Amber Flanigan (Dec '15)

Amber Flanigan, LMSW, MPH, CHES (Dec '15) has accepted a position as Social Work Case Manager through Palmetto Health's Celia Saxon Department which includes community health centers that provide free health and wellness services in neighborhoods in which there are people living at or below the poverty level and that have been affected by South Carolina's decision to not expand medicaid. Ms. Flanigan will provide psychosocial support and case management services.

Ms. Flanigan is well-suited for this position with her foundation training in the MSW MPH program and her experience working with underserved and vulnerable populations at Samaritan Counseling Center in Athens, where she completed her integrated public health and social work field placement. While working with her clients at Samaritan, she provided case management, including referring her clients to community resources such as Action Ministries, health care providers, and yoga studios that partnered with Samaritan.

Ms. Flanigan also worked with the West Broad Street Farmer's Market in the Hancock Corridor community in Athens. She worked on multiple health promotion projects including nutrition education classes and partnering with the Athens Nurses Clinic to conduct free health screenings.

Ms. Flanigan also recently earned the Licensed Master Social Work credential through the Association of Social Work Boards and the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) credential through the National Commission of Health Education Credentialing, Inc.

Congratulations Ms. Flanigan on these amazing accomplishments!

To learn more about Ms. Flanigan, visit her LinkedIn profile.

Meet Our Student - Devan Gardner (Dec '17)

Devan Gardner (Dec '17)

Devan Gardner is pursuing the MSW Clinical Concentration and MPH Health Promotion and Behavior Concentration.  She graduated from The University of Georgia in Summer 2015 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Promotion and Behavior.

Devan is interested in working with adolescent and young adult populations to promote comprehensive sex education, increase healthy sexual behaviors, decrease teen and unplanned pregnancy, and establish body positivity. She has interned with agencies such as Planned Parenthood, Clarke County Health Department, and the UGA Health Center. She is active in addressing social justice issues among underserved populations by volunteering with organizations such as IMPACT UGA, Hosea Feed the Hungry, Sexual Health Advocacy Group, and Shop With a Bulldawg.

Devan chose the MSW/MPH program to be an effective change agent in the community.  She believes it is necessary to grasp both key concepts in social work and public health to create sustainable, healthful change.  Devan states, "I love program development and work that will benefit the community, but I don't want to restrict myself to that - I think working with individuals is just as important!"  Devan hopes to work as a community health educator/advocate with Planned Parenthood and similar organizations.

Devan recently became a Certified Health Education Specialist. Devan says, "The national, competency-based exam is a great tool to build up your resume and show future employers you meet standards in knowledge and application of public health promotion and education key concepts." Learn more about taking the CHES/MCHES exam.

Visit Devan's LinkedIn profile.

Alumni Update - Lisbeth "Lis" Cruz, MSW, MPH

Since graduating, Ms. Cruz has devoted much more of her time to her position as Executive Director of Clubs de Niños y Niñas de Centro America (Boys and Girls Clubs of Central America) and its U.S. based parent organization, GoDoMore, Inc., of which she is a co-founder.

GoDoMore, Inc and Clubs de Niños y Niñas de Centro America are non-profit organizations with bases in Atlanta, GA and Guatemala, Central America.  Their efforts focus on conducting community assessments, program implementation, and community development.  

Ms. Cruz co-founded the international volunteer organization Clubs de Niños y Niñas de Centro America about ten years ago with the goal of developing safe and positive places for kids and families, which would lead them to attain higher education, career opportunities, and long term self-sufficiency.

Visit Ms. Cruz's LinkedIn profile.

Alumni Update - Amber Flanigan, MSW, MPH, LMSW, CHES (Dec '15)

Amber Flanigan, MSW, MPH (Dec '15) recently earned the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) credential through the National Commission of Health Education Credentialing, Inc.  The CHES credential demonstrates competencies in seven areas of health education.  To earn the CHES credential, students must have taken coursework focused on health education and pass a competency-based exam.

Ms. Flanigan is also a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) through the Association of Social Work Boards.

Congratulations Ms. Flanigan on these accomplishments!

Alumni Update - Hannah Demmitt, MSW, MPH, LMSW (Dec '14)

Hannah Demmitt, MSW, MPH, LMSW (Dec '14)

Hannah Demmitt, MSW, MPH, LMSW (Dec '14) has recently been promoted to Program Coordinator at Great Starts in Knoxville, Tennessee, a structured living program offering integrated substance abuse and mental health treatment services to recovering pregnant and parenting women.  The program utilizes evidence-based practices for co-occurring treatment with the goal of strengthening the mother-child bond through comprehensive services for mothers and specialized care for their children.  Prior to taking the Program Coordinator position, Ms. Demmitt worked for the past year as an Infant Child Intervention Specialist at Great Starts, where she worked with mothers and babies to promote infant mental health and bonding, and to provide psycho-education, resource linkage, developmental assessments, and advocacy with the Department of Children's Services and juvenile court.  As a Program Coordinator, Ms. Demmitt will be moving from a clinical focus to a more public health focus, supervising about ten therapists, case managers, and milieu staff; coordinating day-to-day program activities; and working with community partners.

"We have a building full of newborns, which is my dream job!" says Ms. Demmitt.  "Drug using during pregnancy is a huge public health problem and one that I am very passionate about. Great Starts is one of two programs in the state of Tennessee addressing the issue head on.  There is a lot of work to be done, both within our program, and working with partners on the issue."

Ms. Demmitt is also a Licensed Master Social Worker through the Association of Social Work Boards.

Congratulations on your accomplishments, Hannah!

To learn more about Ms. Demmitt, visit her LinkedIn profile.

Meet Our Student - Samantha Elliott (Dec '17)

Samantha Elliott (Dec '17)

My name is Samantha Elliott, but friends usually call me “Sam” (or really good friends somehow eventually fall into calling me “Sammy.”) It’s nice to finally be able to say that I will, Lord willing, graduate next year, December 2017.  Lest things change, I will graduate with a Community focused Master of Social Work, and a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Health Promotion and Behavior. I’m also currently seeking out the possibility of fitting a Global Health Certificate in there while I’m at it. What’s one more thing, right?

Even though originally from Wilmington, North Carolina, I enjoyed my time at the University of Georgia achieving an undergraduate degree in Spanish and minor in Public Health in 2013 so much that I couldn’t think to do my graduate studies anywhere else. While most of my time has been spent residing in the South, I’m privileged to have travelled more than usual in my studies and personal life. This influences my desire to work with a culturally diverse population one day, possibly through the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, or other government organizations. Another avenue of interest I am looking into is the healthcare setting. In the meantime, I am on staff at a local church here in the Classic City, Grace Athens. As Discipleship Director I mainly cluster groups of college students together to be mentored by an Athens adult in our family of believers. With all the extra time left after school and work I enjoy being active outdoors. Couple that with good company of friends or family and I couldn’t ask for much more.

I look forward to seeing how the benefits of the complementary MSW/MPH Dual Degree continue to unfold as I begin internships and come across future employment options. I believe the skill sets acquired from the different, yet similar programs will surely set me up for a wide variety of work and career settings.

Visit my LinkedIn profile.

Guest Post by Josalin Hunter-Jones, MSW, MPH, CHES

Josalin Hunter-Jones, MSW, MPH, CHES

During my undergraduate studies at Xavier University of Louisiana, I studied psychology and also worked as a research student worker at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. From that time on, after working on a genetic study exploring familial breast and prostate cancers among African-Americans, I found myself interested in the link between behavioral science and mental health and other health-related issues- particularly disparities among vulnerable and minority populations. I first learned of a dual MSW/MPH degree program offered at Tulane University where I was accepted and planned to attend. As a native New Orleanian, Hurricane Katrina derailed those plans, ravishing the city on the day of orientation. Still determined to obtain both degrees, I earned the Master of Social Work degree from University of Missouri-Saint Louis in 2007 and the Master of Public Health degree from Emory University in 2009

I have always been fortunate enough to integrate my interests and experiences in both social work and public health in my academic and professional work. I believe that the combination of these degrees has afforded me opportunities that I otherwise would not have had without them both.  Cumulatively, I have conducted public health-related research for almost 15 years now. I have also directed public health-related research projects involving populations living with or at risk for HIV for the past 10 years.  My involvement on research projects have additionally involved promoting and conducting HIV testing and counseling and/or the provision of health education interventions to improve patient physical and mental health well-being. Although most of my work has been primarily public health focused, my social work identity is always in the forefront. Aside from serving as a mental health clinician addressing urgent needs such as severe depression and suicidality, I am always vocal about ethical considerations, advocacy for patient needs, providing resources, and helping the larger team consider and implement plans to support and serve the vulnerable populations we strive to learn more about through research.

I am currently a 2^nd year PhD student at University of Georgia’s College of Public Health in the Department of Health Promotion and Behavior. My interests and the focus of my studies are HIV and mental health. I am most passionate about destigmatizing mental health needs and promoting mental wellness in the African-American community. My dissertation research will focus on adapting an evidence-based mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy intervention for African-American women newly diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. My long-term goals are to become an NIH-caliber researcher mentoring, teaching, and leading efforts towards improving the lives of HIV-seropositive populations and African-American women, both collectively and independently. My hope is that while doing so, more people will begin to see how glaringly true it is that mental health IS public health.

Josalin Hunter-Jones, MSW, MPH, CHES