Guest Blog Post - Jay Cordova (Dec '21)

Jay Cordova
MSW-MPH Candidate Dec 21

When I was researching graduate programs, I initially looked at multidisciplinary programs because of the leg up it would give me over other job candidates. I thought about the pay increase I may get, and how I would maybe have better chances of gaining employment at a higher position than entry-level. Honestly, to begin, I didn't understand fully what strengths the study of Public Health would give me that wasn't already addressed in Social Work. Now having finished my first semester of Public Health courses, I have gained much insight into why pairing the field of Public Health with Social Work is a phenomenal route of study. The need for Public Health and Social Work integration is recognized by professionals as a way to achieve social equity (Whitestead, 2004). I would suggest there are three main reasons why having a degree in both Public Health and Social Work is beneficial.  

 First, the amount of knowledge gained through interdisciplinary study is greater than what is learned during one concentration. For example, the number of theories I am aware of are more than I would have known only studying Social Work. You may think, why do I need to know more theories, but I have already found it helpful. Some theories I have learned during my first semester of Public Health courses have helped me explain things that occur in social work.  

I was assigned a semester-long project this past semester to develop a program. I chose to create a program to address youth suicide. Youth Suicide is definitely addressed in the field of social work, which makes sense considering it is a mental health issue that is affected by social influences, but recently the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named youth suicide a public health concern. One of the tasks required when proposing a program is to justify the approach of the program, which is done using theory. Suicide is a topic often addressed in social work, and I knew some common Social Work theories like the Social Cognitive Theory. I chose to use the Social Cognitive Theory and found myself coming up short explaining all of the components to be considered, which explain suicide. I chose to incorporate the Health Belief Theory as a supplement and was able to cover all of the areas of my topic. I had never heard of the Health Belief  Model before taking a public health course, but I found it helpful to explain social behaviors that are health-related, in this case, suicide.  

 

 Second, being in a multidisciplinary field of study has awarded me with a greater perspective when addressing real-world issues. The field of Public Health often considers epidemiology or pathology, and Social Work often takes a strengths-based perspective. "Social work practice in the drug abuse field is closely tied to the epistemology of logical positivism" (Anastas & Lushin, 2011). For example, considering someone who smokes cigarettes, the field of Public health says smoking kills and causes cancer, and we need to help people quit. Social work may look at it as the person is smoking, but it is helping cope with the cessation of drinking for an alcoholic. The choice would be to focus on the cessation of drinking as a strength and smoking cigarettes as helping end a greater health risk. Being knowledgeable in both fields, I would consider both aspects of this issue. I would also consider the cross-section of alcoholism as a chronic illness (Public Health) that often starts because of mental illness or co-occurring with a mental illness (Social Work), (Flanigan & Ward, 2017).  

Third, my knowledge of resources has increased exponentially. For the most part, Social Work has taught me how to find resources meant to help a client or a client’s family. Public Health has introduced me to resources that address communities and larger populations. One of the best things I learned about is the County Rankings Website. Knowing how the county I live in measures on a topic gives me a better start to help solve a social work issue. To return to my previous project example about youth suicide, Social Work resources helped me determine what to include as places someone could go to for help. County Health rankings helped me understand where in Georgia youth suicide was happening at elevated rates. It would be pointless to develop a program to help a community if that community is not facing that problem.  

 

Finally, as just a personal opinion of my experience thus far, I have grown more as a person because the two fields combined give me a more holistic learning experience.  

Jay Cordova is an MSW-MPH Candidate graduating in December 2021.

Jay is currently interning at Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia. View Jay's LinkedIn here. 

References 

 

• Flanigan, A., & Salm Ward, T. (2017). Evidence and Feasibility of Implementing an Integrated Wellness Program in Northeast Georgia. Health & Social Work, 42(3), 143–150. https://doi-org.proxy-remote.galib.uga.edu/10.1093/hsw/hlx021 
•  Lushin, V. (2011). Harm reduction in substance abuse treatment: Pragmatism as an epistemology for social work practice. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions., 11(1), 96. 
•  Whiteside, M. (2004). The challenge of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing the social determinants. Australian Social Work, 57(4), 381. https://doi-org.proxy-remote.galib.uga.edu/10.1111/j.0312-407X.2004.00168.x