Profiles of UW SSW Graduates in the Field

Barbara Crook
Free-lance consultant in international public health

How did you get into the field of international social work?
My various positions working in public health settings with immigrant groups and my fluency in a language (Spanish) led to my involvement in international social work. For example, in California I acted as a liaison between the county mental health department and the Chicano community. In Seattle I directed a community clinic that served low-income residents including many recent immigrants from southeast Asia. In the late 80's I began working at PATH, a major international public health agency in Seattle. They hired me because of my Spanish fluency, my work with immigrant groups, experience in program development, qualitative research, and community organizing skills. While I developed these skills and experience in communities in the US, I was able to apply them to international programs.

What is your role now in the international arena (work, interests, research areas)?
For 13 years at PATH I specialized in qualitative research, maternal and child program development, community mobilization, men's involvement in women's health, design and field testing of appropriate technologies and design of educational interventions related to a range of diseases including AIDS, STDs, breast cancer, cervical cancer and diphtheria.

Since leaving PATH in 2000, I've continued to work as a free-lance consultant with PATH and other international health organizations such as Save The Children, UNFPA and Initiatives Inc. on similar projects. My work has taken me to more than 14 countries in all regions of the world. In summer 2001 as auxiliary faculty I taught an international social work course at the UW School of Social Work. In Seattle over the past few years

I have also served as a guest lecturer at the UW School of Nursing, conducted staff training in community agencies and have worked with UW researchers conducting qualitative research on the human papilloma virus and cervical cancer .

What are your favorite aspects of your international work? And, what are a few challenges?
I enjoy working with people of other cultures to experience life and social issues through their cultural lenses. Working internationally broadens one's understanding of behavior, health and illness, religion, politics and other issues that affect all of us in an increasingly shrinking world. Perhaps most useful, I learn about my own country and cultural perspectives through colleagues in other countries - this is something that I cannot get staying in Seattle surrounded by like-minded colleagues and friends.

Challenges include: maintaining cultural sensitivity and withholding judgment when your own perspectives or social behavior are very different from the groups you're working with; learning patience, developing an ability to work alone in extremely stressful situations, and raising funds to complete projects.

What are 3 tips you would give to a student interested in working internationally?

• Work with recent immigrant groups in the US to develop an understanding of and sensitivity to the complexity of cultural perspectives toward social behavior and health issues.
  
• Live and work overseas for a couple years (through Peace Corps or some other international voluntary agency) to build international experience, develop language skills (Spanish, Russian or Chinese would be useful) and develop contacts with people in international agencies.
  
• Skills in behavior change and counseling are needed in many international programs (many MPH's who work internationally do not have these skills - MSWs have a real advantage).