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

Joelle Pettus (Dec '14) published a book review in the June issue of the Social Work and Public Health Journal.  She reviews the book, Ten Lessons in Public Health:  Inspiration for Tomorrow's Leaders, written by Alfred Sommer and published in 2013.  In her review, she concludes, "Ten Lessons in Public Health is a hard-to-put-down timely must read:  a vivid look into the life of an accomplished epidemiologist filled with important career and life advice to teach, motivate, and inspire all public health practitioners."

Ms. Pettus wrote the review as part of a course requirement in a professional writing course (MNPO 7010) taught by Dr. Michael Holosko.  "I wrote this review last summer, and I was able to bring in the best of both the social work and public health fields, relying heavily on the writing skills I developed from Dr. Holosko's course."

Read the book review.  Visit Ms. Pettus' LinkedIn Profile.

Meet Our Students - Audry Motlagh (May '15)

Audry Motlagh, BS is pursuing an MSW, Clinical Concentration and MPH, Health Promotion and Behavior Concentration, and a Certificate in Non-Profit Management, with expected graduation in May 2015.  Ms. Motlagh earned a BS in Psychology with a minor in Child and Family Development from the University of Georgia in 2011.

Ms. Motlagh is interested in medical clinical social work, human sexuality, and veteran health care research. Upon graduation, she hopes to find a position in a health care clinic or hospital. This summer, she begins her field placement at Mercy Health Center in Athens, Georgia, where she will integrate clinical social work and public health skills to reduce the usage of the Emergency Room for primary health care by Mercy patients. Ms. Motlagh will also be evaluating Mercy patient’s needs for mental health counseling to integrate them into the new Advantage Behavioral Health Partnership within Mercy. 

Through the UGA School of Social Work, Ms. Motlagh was awarded the Tisha Abolt Graduate Assistantship, which was established as a living legacy to Tisha Abolt, daughter of Chatham County Administrator Russ Abolt and his wife, Diane. The Graduate Assistantship provides tuition and a monthly stipend for a Savannah-area graduate student in UGA’s School of Social Work.  Ms. Motlagh presented the findings of her work, supervised by Drs. Michelle Carney (Social Work) and Matthew Smith (Public Health), at the 2014 Georgia Public Health Association Meeting in Atlanta.

She currently works as a Community Support Worker at the Social Empowerment Center, where she works with therapists to provide education and behavioral tools to be utilized with different family demographics. Ms. Motlagh also provides brief services within Social Empowerment Center as a Parent Aid. 

Ms. Motlagh would like to acknowledge the immense support system and mentors she has been ever so gracious to work with and influenced by. Without these key players in her life she would not be able to learn, accomplish, and succeed in her life and career. 

Learn more about Ms. Motlagh by visiting her LinkedIn profile.

Meet Our Students - Lisbeth Cruz (Dec '15)

Lisbeth (Lis) Cruz, BS is a veteran of the non-profit and business worlds, specifically in the areas of youth development, adult education and business management.  She has over fifteen years of experience in working with the most underserved communities in the areas of community strengthening, recruitment and educational outreach strategies, program development, reporting, training, technology and community relationships.

Mrs. Cruz is a graduate of Georgia Gwinnett College, with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology, with a concentration in Social/Applied and Cognitive/Neuroscience where she graduated with the highest honors.  She has assisted and conducted research studies in the areas of thought suppression, gender differences and academic performance. Lis has also participated in the Business, Marketing and Human Research project in Belgium, France and Switzerland. She has received numerous academic awards and is a member of various honor societies.

Mrs. Cruz is currently pursuing dual Master Degrees in Social Work and in Public Health at the University of Georgia.  During her studies Mrs. Cruz continues to add to her long history of community service by volunteering at Aid Gwinnett and the Global Community Project in Latin America. Previously she participated in the Global Civic Engagement project in South Africa and Swaziland. 

After completing her graduate degrees, Mrs. Cruz hopes for the opportunity to work on research that would bring light to issues in the realm of social/health inequalities and abuse, with a specific focus on minorities and underserved communities. Mrs. Cruz’s hope is to one day work with an organization such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization or Unicef so that she can bring a voice to the many abused and oppressed individuals who oftentimes are not included in research because they don’t have the opportunity to share their experiences either because they’re not allowed to or are simply hard to reach. As a result, she would like to be part of the implementation of strategies and programs that will allow communities around the world, to have equal access to recourses and opportunities.

Alexandra Fitzsimmons receives Feldman Health Disparities Award for Summer Research

Alexandra Fitzsimmons, a dual MSW MPH student was awarded the Feldman Health Disparities Award from the College of Public Health.  The award is intended to provide an 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's award will provide funding support for a summer research project on intergenerational health and wellness in the Netherlands with the Institute of Gerontology, as well as a community-based internship and study abroad in Israel this summer.

Read more about the College of Public Health's Recognition Day.

Congratulations Ali!

Congratulations Spring 2014 MSW MPH Graduates!

Binkow being congratulated by UGA President Jere Morehead.

Klein being congratulated by UGA Provost Pamela Whitten.

Two MSW MPH program graduates walked the stage at this Spring's University of Georgia graduate commencement ceremony – Katherine Binkow, MSW MPH and Leah Klein, MSW MPH. 

Both are utilizing a combination of social work and public health skills in their employment settings.  Ms. Binkow is employed as a Social Worker at Calvin Court, Presbyterian Homes of Georgia, where she recently completed an integrated social work and public health field placement. 

Ms. Klein is employed as the Volunteer Coordinator at the Rape Crisis Center in August, Georgia.

Learn more about Ms. Binkow and Ms. Klein by visiting their LinkedIn profiles.

Congratulations Graduates!