Social Work Heals- Interprofessional Practice and Training

Interprofessional Practice and Training

Presenters:
Barbara Jones, PhD 
Josleen and Frances Lockhart Memorial Professor for Direct Practice in Social Work, Co-director of the Institute for Collaborative Health Research and Practice 
Steven Hicks School of Social Work
University of Texas at Austin
Chair, Department of Health Social Work
Dell Medical School
University of Texas at Austin

Dede Sparks, LMSW 
Assistant Dean for Health Affairs, Clinical Associate Professor
Steven Hicks School of Social Work
University of Texas at Austin
Social Work HEALS Program Director

The Department of Health Social Work at Dell Medical School is the first of its kind in the nation providing an academic home for health social workers. This joint venture was a result of years of collaborative interprofessional engagement between the Steve Hicks School of Social Work and the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin. Presenters will discuss the creation of this department, the opportunities and challenges of having a department of social work in a medical school, initial outcomes and current programs. Strong social work leadership in healthcare administration and practice provides a supportive foundation for social workers to effectively address structural inequalities and discrimination in the healthcare system, the practice arena and within the profession of social work. The Department offers opportunities for both the Steve Hicks School of Social Work and Dell Medical School, including research collaboration, professional development, and student internships.