Giselle
Balfour, MSW, MPH
PhD
Student, School of Social Work, University of Georgia
Prashikshya Karki, a current MSW/MPH student at the University of
Georgia, sat down to speak with Giselle Balfour, MSW, MPH, who shares her insight
into what it means to be a dual MSW MPH professional.
Tell us a little about your
education and professional background.
I am currently a PhD student in the School of Social Work at the
University of Georgia. I am originally from
Trinidad and Tobago, and I migrated to the United States in 2008 to complete
the MSW program at UGA. Following that,
I earned an MPH degree. Before coming to
the US, I worked as a health program administrator for the International
Federation of Red Cross Societies in the Caribbean. In that position I worked with a number of
health programs including ones focused on HIV and AIDS, and that is what precipitated
my interest in both social work and public health. Actually, I have been doing HIV/AIDS work
since I was a teenager in high school as a volunteer. Once I graduated with my Bachelor’s Degree, I
went into HIV/AIDS professionally at the Red Cross, and absolutely loved
it. For a long time, I went back and
forth as whether I wanted to do a graduate degree in social work or public
health because of my interest in HIV/AIDS.
I decided on social work first because, quite honestly, I felt I was
more oriented toward social work – I wanted to help people. After earning my MSW, I worked with the Georgia
Division of Family and Children Services as a Social Service Supervisor for 4
years. I couldn’t find a job in HIV and
AIDS, and I thought maybe if I earned a MPH, I would be able to more easily get
into that field. But, as I was doing the
public health degree, within a year I had decided that I wanted to do a PhD.
What drew you to pursuing a PhD
in Social Work after earning an MPH?
I personally feel like I am oriented towards social work even though I
love public health. The decision to go
to that direction does not negate what I learned in public health. I still have the knowledge and skills there, but
I feel like I am more oriented towards a social work approach to any subject
area. I feel social work looks at the
issue from a broader range. This
resonated with me because I wanted to look at issues from a wider perspective, not
just from the health perspective. The
health perspective is extremely important, but for me personally, I prefer to
look at things social work’s person-in-environment perspective. I am a born and bred social worker, and that
is just who I am!
Do you see the MSW and MPH
complementing each other?
I definitely see having both the MSW and MPH as an absolute plus. I am glad I earned both degrees, and I think
ultimately, even once I graduate with my PhD and go into academia, I will
continue to use the skills and the knowledge I gained from the MSW and
MPH. I feel like the MSW helped me
understand the individual. We try to
help people using the person-in-environment perspective – looking at the way
the environment impacts them and the way that they impact their environment. Public health looks at the population, and
also looks at all those environmental factors that we consider in social work.
Do you see any differences in
the MSW and MPH?
In my opinion there are some small differences. Of course public health is very much oriented
towards health. Social work looks at the
whole picture, everything from the physical well-being of an individual to the psychological
well-being, and all the factors that impact the individual and the community. On the other hand, public health is much more
specific about what it looks at. Of course
those things intersect, but social work looks at the broader picture, I believe.
How are you applying MSW and MPH
competencies to your current work?
I am using both skill sets as I plan my dissertation. My dissertation topic is Commercial Sexual Exploitation
of Children (CSEC), and this issue has both social work and public health
elements. I will be looking at both of
them as I formulate my dissertation. It
is going to be an interdisciplinary approach to the topic. Most employers now want that interdisciplinary
perspective – even in addressing CSEC, almost every state is looking at a
multi-sectorial approach where they are pulling child welfare agencies,
criminal justice agencies, and public health agencies together to create a
solution to this problem. I already come
from two sectors, so I believe this gives me an advantage.
In terms of CSEC, from the public health perspective, we look at the health
implications. We have children that are
being prostituted. A lot of their clients
are married men who may engage in unprotected sex with these children, thus
there is the definite risk of spreading diseases not just with children, but
also with multiple partners. So it’s not
just spreading within that community, but then these men take that back to their
intimate families - their wives or girlfriends – and so there is that public
health perspective for me.
From the social work perspective, I am looking at the psychological
trauma that happens with those involved in CSEC. I am looking at the way that ultimately
impacts their family, and the way that ultimately impacts society. In my background in child welfare, a lot of
these kids who are being exploited have been abused either sexually or
physically and they may see prostitution as a way out of the lives they are in,
and they may see their pimps initially as another family, as their savior from
this. The social work piece comes in as
we want to help restore those families, and public health looks at the risks
not only to the children but to society in general because of the sexual
activities taking place within this industry.
So I am looking at the way that CSEC impacts society in general not just
in terms of health but also in terms of every other piece. So definitely there is room for both.
Do you think that having an MSW
and MPH and PhD in Social Work will make you a strong contender in the job
market?
Definitely! Like I said, a lot
of employers are interested in a wide range of knowledge, and so to be able to
go to the employing agency knowing both social work and public health, I can
definitely bring a very different perspective than many other employees in the job
market today. If I come to an agency
that is dealing very specifically with HIV and AIDS, or CSEC, I already bring
two disciplines to the table, and that may be one less person they have to hire
because I can address both perspectives.
It will definitely give me an advantage in whatever area that I choose;
I think employers will love to have the asset of bringing these two
perspectives to the table.
What advice or suggestions do
you have for students who are pursuing dual MSW and MPH degrees?
I think that it can, of course, be overwhelming to pursue two degrees
at the same time. But you need to stick
with it and know that ultimately it will pay off in the end. You may not get a job that perfectly blends
the two degrees, but whatever job you take, you will not lose the skills that
you have gained. Even if you are doing
something that is social work oriented or public health oriented, you will
never lose the knowledge and skills that you have gained, and you will
personally be able to apply those skills in any task you are doing. I suggest you stick with it, work hard and
pay attention to both perspectives, as they are equally important. Having two degrees will be an advantage for
you when you go out into the job market with thousands of other candidates. What you bring that is different than any
other candidates will be those two degrees.
Having knowledge not only in social work but also in public health means
you can bring a very different perspective than most other candidates.
Amber Flanigan (Dec '15), a dual degree student who is already applying skills she's gained through the program to her position as Farm to School Coordinator at Athens Land Trust, sent us a virtual pie for the holidays. Click here to get your own virtual pie.
