Alumni Update - Ilana Olin McCarthy, MSW, MPH, CPH (Dec '13)

Ilana Olin McCarthy, MSW, MPH, CPH (Dec ’13) has accepted a position as a Health Scientist at the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  As a Health Scientist on the Workforce Development and Capacity Building team, she will be analyzing the results of the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey for the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP).  This survey is distributed annually to all federal employees in order to gauge employee satisfaction, perceived potential for professional growth, the impact of leaders, and work-life balance opportunities.  Based on the results of this survey, NCHHSTP will adjust and create programs, policies, and action plans to address low-scoring variables.

 

Prior to this position, Ilana worked as a contracted Communication Specialist, Evaluation, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where she conducted program evaluation on the Ebola Communication Team in the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine.  This division leads CDC’s response efforts for the Ebola response in West Africa.  Ilana's team led border health communication messages, training, and evaluation which included Ebola-specific messaging and the design of and execution of enhanced entry screening at ports of entry.

 

Congratulations on your new position, Ilana! 

 

To learn more about Ilana view her LinkedIn Profile.

Current Student, Jackie Tachman (Spr '17), wins 3rd place student mentoring award

Congratulations to Jackie Tachman (Spr '17), current MSW MPH student, for winning third place in the Leonard W. and Marie A. Poon Student Mentoring Award! The award was presented at the 26^th Annual Southeastern Student Mentoring Conference in Gerontology and Geriatrics on April 16 in Pensacola, Florida. Jackie used data from a dementia caregiving project led by Dr. Tiffany Washington in the UGA School of Social Work. Dr. Washington notes, "this is a very prestigious and competitive award." Ms. Tachman's abstract is below:

Experiential Learning and the Impact of Dementia on Individuals, Family Systems, and Communities: A Case Example

In dementia-affected families, informal caregivers provide invaluable support through diverse, time intensive means (i.e., companionship, medical care, household tasks, transportation). While informal caregivers reduce the use of nursing homes and may improve the quality of life for recipients of care, informal caregivers are also at increased risk for adverse outcomes (i.e. stress, strain, isolation). A newly-designed, innovative dementia caregiving service-learning course for graduate-level students at the University of Georgia School of Social Work addresses the impact of dementia on individuals, family systems, and communities, with an emphasis on community-based engagement to reduce caregiver burden and to educate students. A description of the pilot dementia-caregiving course structure will be provided, followed by a personal student account. A total of 12, 90-minute student visits were completed, with six occurring after the course officially ended. Meaningful activities were tailored to the interests and strengths of the recipient of care, and each visit allowed for caregiver respite. Utilizing a socioecological approach, students engaged in psychosocial interventions in dementia caregiving based on experiential assessments of home environment, functional abilities, social engagement, and access to community resources.

Congratulations Ms. Tachman!

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

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.