Next Generation Social Work Education: Transdisciplinary, Translational, Globally Connected

As funders and the public push for timely, multi-level, impactful responses to complex, pressing social, health, and environmental problems, research and practice models that bridge disciplinary, theoretical, and... [ view full abstract ]

As funders and the public push for timely, multi-level, impactful responses to complex, pressing social, health, and environmental problems, research and practice models that bridge disciplinary, theoretical, and methodological boundaries are increasingly expected. Social work is inherently an integrative discipline, yet globally the profession faces challenges in effectively responding to these demands. Key bodies of transdisciplinary innovation are responding to local needs, yet cross-walks across countries and bodies of knowledge and experience are relatively underdeveloped, limiting synergy and advances. Crafting such connections requires fresh thinking about social work’s international research capacity. The field also needs educational ‘pipelines” –across levels of social work education – aimed at fostering students’ cross-disciplinary, interprofessional understanding of underlying social and health determinants, ability to translate this knowledge into effective and sustainable social care and action, and capacity to confidently articulate social work’s unique contributions in interdisciplinary research and practice contexts.

In this presentation we aim to foster a conversation with international colleagues, drawing on our diverse experiences across top-ranked US universities to share tools aimed at better preparing emerging scholars and practitioners for sophisticated, community-engaged, transdisciplinary and translational research and practice. We focus in particular on approaches to social work education designed to enhance students’ transdisciplinary and translational skills and confidence. Presenters will draw upon pedagogical roadmaps, tools and recommendations developed in undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate settings, hands-on experience in multi-discipline research teams, and leadership of transdisciplinary pre- and postdoctoral training in lifespan stress, environmental determinants, and health disparities. Examples illustrate skills such as transdisciplinary communication, team problem solving, mentoring, joint career development, multi-level theoretical and methodological preparation, and capacity to articulate social work’s unique contributions. Finally, we will summarize recent capacity building efforts sponsored by the US Society for Social Work & Research, and urge cross-pollinating conversations bridging international efforts.