Translational Transdisciplinary Transformative Preparing Emerging Scholars for Collaborative

Translational, Transdisciplinary, Transformative: Preparing Emerging Scholars for Collaborative, High Impact Science Paula Nurius & Susan Kemp

Challenges & Opportunities v. Research/training contexts rapidly changing; implications for pedagogical models we use v. Relevance—potential for increased reach & impact with problems central to Social Work v. Today: 3 T’s tools structure attention to principles & reflectiveness: high impact science & research ”teams of tomorrow” v. Susan & I complementary topic/team illustrations

Shaping Factors & Questions v. Internal conversations: SW brand, distinctiveness, priorities v. National trends shaping research/training: Not just NIH v. Not singular correctness v. Rather degree, emphasis, multiple “tables” prepare our emerging scholars v. How do we identify & carve out research training agendas that 1) make sense at local level and 2) also “add up” across our institutions?

Social Work’s Important Assets v. World catching up with priorities & frames SW has had for long time v. SW “bilingual”: language, culture, research & practice v“Multi”- bridgers: levels, partners, populations, settings, systems v. Presence, credibility, leadership v. Now…. Examine 1) our capacity gaps and 2) how we best leverage SW’s assets in these contemporary contexts?

VCU Postdoctoral Fellowship: Illustration Emerging Opportunities for Our Grads • Contribute to interdisciplinary research psychiatric and social epidemiology, integrating biological correlates & consequences for mid- and late-life psychological health • Grounded by frameworks acknowledge causal factors nested one within another--environmental factors, genetic factors, behaviors and social contexts integral • Complex biological & environmental contributions to comorbidities (depression & type 2 diabetes) over lifespan • Experience with longitudinal and multi-level modeling • Doctoral degree: epidemiology, sociology, psychology, or a related field; skill in working cooperatively and collegially within team science approach

Transdisciplinary: Some Definitions & Illustrations

Multi-, Inter-, Trans-Disciplinarity MULTIDISCIPLINARY Sequential or additive combination of ideas or methods drawn from 2 or more disciplines/fields n n Separate bodies of knowledge Different “languages” S. Gehlert, 2010 UWSSW

Multi-, Inter-, Trans-Disciplinarity MULTIDISCIPLINARY INTERDISCIPLINARY Integration of perspectives, concepts, methods in addressing focal problem n n Separate bodies of knowledge Different “languages” n n Shared bodies of knowledge Shared “vocabulary” S. Gehlert, 2010 UWSSW

Multi-, Inter-, Trans-Disciplinarity Transcends, new practical solutions MULTIDISCIPLINARY INTERDISCIPLINARY TRANSDISCIPLINARY e” nc il a vig er yp “h n n n Separate bodies of knowledge Different “languages” n n Shared bodies of knowledge Shared “vocabulary” n n “ap opt osi s” y” icac f f e ve lecti l o c “ Shared language Pooled bodies of knowledge and theory Jointly-developed new methods S. Gehlert, 2010 UWSSW

Adler & Stewert, 2010, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences • Transdisciplinary Team Experiment • Cells to Society: Multi-Level Bioecological • Familiar, BUT training, teams, empirical knitting--new SW well suited…. but not well represented

Health Arena—Examples theory & method arenas which need cross training capability Krieger, 2005

Center for Interdisciplinary Health Disparities Research Cooperative Pooling to Connect “Dots” (Processes) Across Levels Environment/ Neighborhood Fractured Community Dilapidated Housing Crime African-American Women (Chicago) Acute Stressors (sexual assault) Toxic Stress Exposure 2 -Factor Psychosocial Suite: 1. Depression and Loneliness 2. Anomie Social Relationships Psychosocial States Biological/Genetic Breast Cancer Inflammatory Process Cortisol Dynamics Rise Night time Downregulation Pten, Axl Inflammatory genes Animal Models/Accelerated Lifecourse GR Glucocorticoid Receptors S. Gehlert, adapted

Center for Interdisciplinary Health Disparities Research (S Gehlert) Strategically Selecting Targets of Intervention Multi-level assessment (Community Ethnography, Survey, Biological): Biology as sensitive indicators? Early signs upstream efficacy? MODEL Race = Degraded Infrastructure, Crime, & Unsafe Housing Neighborhood-Level Intervention Isolation Support/safety Skills for negotiating complex systems Isolation, Acquired Vigilance & Depression Measure Clinical Outcome Adherence to chemotherapy Metabolic Gene Regulation Inflammatory Gene Function Measures Biological Outcome Failure of Apoptosis & Tumor Growth Salivary Cortisol Regulation Inflammatory Response (EBV) Regulation Fat Distribution Allostatic Load (CRP, e. g. ) Δs Fat Metab. /Insulin Resistance

Points of Intervention Arrayed Along the “Upstream/Downstream” Continuum: Field Translational and Transdisciplinary Partnering Mc. Laughlin 2011: Adapted from Mc. Kinlay & Marceau’s (2000)

• Social Justice • Social Welfare • Social Equalities Shonkoff et al, 2009 Frontiers of Innovation: Multi-System Coordination

Transitioning to Translational

Social Work

“The world has problems but universities have departments” G. D. Brewer (1999) The challenge of interdisciplinarity

Barriers to Research Translation: Initial “T Gaps” Conceptualization Takes 17 years to move 14% of research findings into service and client/patient benefit (give or take) E. A. Balas, 2000 University of Pittsburgh, 2006; Reis, Mc. Donald, & Byers, 2008

• Students “locating” their research aims • Elevator conversations • EBPs but “earlier” Ts as well • Blue highways: webs more than arterials

Training the Next Generation of Social Welfare Scholars • Our early and mid-career faculty = valuable partners in quest to rethink research training models! • Research training > career supports > capacity building > connective linkages Sarah Kye Price—VCU, CTSA Scholar Price SK, Corder-Mabe J, Austin K. Perinatal depression screening and intervention: enhancing health provider involvement. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2012 Apr; 21(4): 447 -55. *Community-Based Participatory Research Award--Women, Loss, and Depression: Collaborative Knowledge Building from the Process of Findings of a CBPR Pilot, 2007 -2008 IOM, 2005

Language challenges, but more… “When people with completely different scientific backgrounds get together to solve a common problem, they have to learn a different way of speaking, a different language. ” Dr. Alan Mac. Diarmid; Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry (with a physicist and a material scientist) And must also negotiate differences in vision, values, and vexation—not easy …. Susan transformative training concepts and illustrations

Transformative Transdisciplinarity § Problem-centered: addressing difficult scientific and social questions (“wicked” problems) – e. g. social and health disparities § Knowledge for use: practical; relevant § A focus on impact: sustainable, realworld, end-user benefits § Socially accountable § Innovative: producing new understandings & interventions § Broadly collaborative

Transdisciplinarity: a “tall cognitive order”

What are the implications for doctoral (and MSW)education in SW?

“…the key to reform of almost any kind in higher education lies not in the way that knowledge is produced. It lies in the way that producers of knowledge are produced” Louis Menand The Marketplace of Ideas

Rethinking SW education: A “fish-scale” model* Scholars and practitioners able to work: - at the upper limits of their expertise - at the edge of their disciplinary boundaries - In close collaboration with others Donald Campbell (1969): “Ethnocentrism of disciplines and the fish-scale model of omniscience. ”

The Aim: “T-Shaped” Graduates § Strong disciplinary foundation/identity § Confidence in social work contributions § Depth of expertise § Ability to engage across & transcend disciplines

Transformative qualities*: Scientific § Capacity to extend and integrate scientific findings, theories, and methods from multiple fields § Ability to develop novel, practice-oriented theoretical and methodological frameworks, drawing on perspectives of multiple fields § Ability to translate scientific knowledge into evidence-based policies, community interventions, and clinical practices § Ability to work closely with community-based practitioners and stakeholders *Misra et al. , 2011

Transformative Qualities: Interpersonal § Teamwork – Communication – Conflict management – Ability to enhance consensus and reduce task-related uncertainties

Transformative qualities*: Intrapersonal Cognitive flexibility; inclusive ways of thinking Broad-gauged, contextually-oriented Creativity Open-mindedness, respect for diverse disciplinary perspectives Egalitarian values An appreciation of and interest in collaborative work Optimism about the outcomes of collaboration Perseverance, tenaciousness, stamina The ability to adapt to changing circumstances, remain open to new perspectives, and challenge existing assumptions and practices § Leadership § § § § § * Nash, 2008, Misra et al. , 2011

How do we get there? § Requires a shift: – from leaving it to the student to make the connections across a set of courses in different disciplines – to an intentional focus on collaborative learning, synthesis and integration

“Operating transdisciplinarily is not intuitive, but…requires training and education as well as institutional supports to yield maximum benefit” Gehlert, 2012, p. 4

TD doctoral education: Key elements § § § Multi-methods training/exposure Theoretical breadth (theoretical multiplism) Collaborative, cross-discipline learning (within/beyond SW) Team taught, multi-instructor courses Transdisciplinary courses, e. g. : – The embodiment of risk, health disparities, and stress mechanisms (Nurius, UWSSW) – The body, health care technology, and place (U. Toronto) § Opportunities to work on TD projects/in TD teams § Multidisciplinary doctoral committees § Dissertation topics that lie at the boundaries of two or more disciplines § Opportunities for informal cross-disciplinary dialogue

Soc. Wl 598: ISSUES AND PRIORITIES IN SOCIAL WELFARE RESEARCH Theory and Metatheory in Social Work Practice and Research COURSE DESCRIPTION This doctoral seminar focuses on the nature and role of theory in contemporary social welfare scholarship informed by a central commitment to social justice and multiculturalism. It provides foundations in the socially constructed nature of theory and social “problems” and in historical changes in conceptual and theoretical perspectives on human society, interaction, and change. Domains of interest encompass a range of theoretical perspectives and provide the opportunity for exploring theoretical and metatheoretical assumptions and models that frame social welfare scholarship and social work practice. The major assignment provides students with the opportunity for in-depth study in one theoretical domain of personal interest. Throughout the course, emphasis is placed on critical thinking and on the conventions of formal scholarly practice.

TD Pedagogy § § problem-centered active collaborative emergent Both: these are theories/methods…. And: what do we need to know/do to help us tackle this issue?

Structures for 3 -T learning • Integration into existing doctoral programs (e. g. Ohio State, Michigan, UWSSW; Washington U: MSW/MArch & MPH) • TD doctoral programs (e. g. Toronto, UC-Irvine) • TD Fellowships/Training Programs – e. g. NSF IGERT • TD collaborations: e. g. Now Urbanism, Lake Union Project, Place course (MSW) • University-community partnerships: – Training (e. g. practica/fellowships - UW West Coast Poverty Center – Translational (e. g. CBPR projects) – Transformative (e. g. collective impact projects)

University of Toronto Health Care, Technology & Place (HCTP) Participating Degree Programs Biomedical Engineering – Ph. D English – Ph. D Health Policy, Management and Evaluation – Ph. D Mechanical and Industrial Engineering - Ph. D Medical Science – Ph. D Nursing Science – Ph. D Pharmaceutical Sciences – Ph. D Public Health Sciences – Ph. D Rehabilitation Science – Ph. D Social Work – Ph. D AIMS: 1. prepare doctoral students to understand, explain, and improve health outcomes associated with geographicallydispersed and technologically-mediated health care; 2. bridge knowledge gaps among doctoral students working in the life sciences, physical sciences, social sciences, and humanities who are concerned with the interconnectedness of bodies, technologies, places, and modes of work in contemporary health care; 3. provide mentorship in transdisciplinary scholarship…to facilitate research conducted by scientifically-informed humanists and philosophically-informed physical and social scientists.

“an engaging interdisciplinary conversation about the present moment and prospective futures of the urban age. ”

Sawyer Seminar: May 5 Social Justice, Inequality and Cities Inequality is intensifying in American cities with profound consequences for people’s well being and for broader society. This panel aims to make sense of where urban inequalities emerge, how they are perpetuated, and why they still exist. The role of community activism around social justice in American cities is addressed, as is strategic engagement with existing public policies and ongoing efforts to transform them. Co- sponsored with the West Coast Poverty Center /UWSSW People, Place, Equity: Spatial Perspectives in Social Work Practice SW 554 A, Spring 2012 “Social work in three dimensions”

Lake Union Project Urban Histories/Contemporary Ecologies

Community-Engaged • Partnerships that include community stakeholders/professionals • Community practica and projects (e. g. NWPC Social Policy Research Fellowship) http: //depts. washington. edu/wcpc/grants/descriptions/spr • Mentoring relationships that include community professionals (Misra et al. , 2011) • CBPR

Transforming SW education: Creating Interprofessional and TD pipelines This is not just about doctoral education…. • MSW Programs: – Interprofessional education & – Transdisciplinary practice (collaborative care) – e. g. UC-San Diego student-run TD clinics

Collegial Activity v. What ideas/principles raised here are particularly relevant to the problems/needs your doctoral program prioritizes? v Example of new training outcome that you’d like to discuss with your doctoral program colleagues/students? v. Are there partnerships that may be useful to achieving targeted goals? v. Has your program instituted innovations you might want to share?