Brown School › 2021 › Page 7

Four students from the Brown School’s Social Entrepreneurship class won $250 prizes in the spring BIG IdeaBounce® competition sponsored by the Olin School of Business. The four entered with their first-ever, two-minute elevator pitches for new business ideas in a contest that was open to all WashU students. The class is taught by Heather Cameron, the Michael B. Kaufman Professor of Practice in Social Entrepreneurship. In addition to the Brown School victors, five undergraduates from her introductory entrepreneurship class won. Bukola Apata, MSW ’21, taught in Cameron’s classes and helped coach the students.

After contestants enter the BIG IdeaBounce®, they get personal feedback from a panel of business-experienced judges on both their business proposal and pitch video. Winners can receive up to $2,500 to fund their idea. The students’ success follows on that of Brown students who won in the previous competition.

The spring winners, with links to their pitches:

Four outstanding students have been chosen to represent their class as Brown School Marshals for 2021: Hana Bekele, Sarah Kang, Angelica Santiago Gonzalez, and Katherine Irani.

Selection as a marshal is an honor. Students are nominated by faculty and other students for commitment to their scholarship, passion in their practica, and contributions to the school community. Traditionally, student marshals have been tasked with carrying the degree banners and leading their respective classes into the Brown School Recognition Ceremony.

Find more information on this year’s Virtual Brown School Recognition Ceremony on the Commencement page.

Master of Social Work Marshal: Hana Bekele
Concentration: International Social and Economic Development

Hana is passionate about helping people living with disabilities become empowered and live independent lives. “My intrinsic need to help others is a powerful drive that I see as my path to positive impact,” she said.

The native Ethiopian did practica with two organizations: Paraquad and the Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired; and Disability Resources at WashU. After graduation, she would like to pursue her PhD and possibly make her home in St. Louis.

Hana is especially thankful to Amy Roither, Amber Brown, and Lori Siegel for their support. She’d like to give special thanks to Tammy Orahood, who was her academic advisor.

“She was always there for me whenever I encountered difficulties in my academic and personal life. I cannot express my appreciation to her.”

Master of Public Health Marshal: Sarah Kang
Concentration: Health Policy Analysis

A native of Los Angeles, California, Sarah immersed herself in the Brown School community. During her program, she served as the MPH Representative on the Student Coordinating Council, co-chair of the Brown School Alliance of Asian and Pacific Islanders (BAAPI), and as a student ambassador for the Office of Admissions.

“I plan to use public health ideas and values to inform my public policy research. My career goal is to make prescription medicines more affordable,” she said.

Sarah is grateful for everyone who formed her graduate school experience, with special thanks to Professors Ross Brownson, Tim McBride, Derek Brown, and Peg Allen; as well as Renee Parks and Sarah(s) Dexter and Birch, her employers.

“These individuals truly went above and beyond and helped keep all of those imposter syndrome feelings at bay. I always felt that I had a home and a community here and for that, I am truly grateful.”

After graduation, Sarah will return to California and pursue a PhD in public policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School in Santa Monica.

Master of Social Policy Marshal: Angelica Santiago Gonzalez
MSW concentration: International Socioeconomic Development | Specialization: Sexual Health Education

Angelica honed her skills in policy during her time at the Brown School. In addition to serving as an MSP graduate assistant, she became a Graduate Policy Scholar.

Angelica served as co-chair and event planning coordinator of Mi Gente, a group that fosters community among Latinx-identified individuals and allies. She also founded and co-chaired Intersect, a student group that seeks to amply artistic voices and creations grounded in social justice and equity promotion both on campus and in the St. Louis region.

“After graduation, I plan to work with and for marginalized communities, especially surrounding child development, children’s issues, and sexual health education,” she said.

Angelica would like to thank all her professors and advisors: Karen Stewart, Amy Hart, Molly Metzger, Cynthia Williams, Miriam Jorgensen, Wynette Whitegoat, Dan Ferris, Atia Thurman, Jacque Martinez Pullen, Amber Brown, Dalychia Saah, Susan Stiritz, Brad Tucker, Janelle Gibson, Jenny Hoffman, Von Nebbitt, Joe Steensma, Sarah Moreland-Russell, Jenni Harpring, Lindsay Stark, Jessica Levy, Joni Chester, and Melissa Jonson-Reid.

Master of Social Work/Master of Social Public Health Dual-Degree Marshal: Katherine (Katie) Irani
MSW Concentration: Domestic Social and Economic Development MPH: Generalist track

Katie is passionate about equity and liberation – and that was exemplified by her activities during her Brown School tenure. She worked with WashU student worker unions, serving one year as a steward. She also chose two respected practicum sites dedicated to erasing barriers: Arch City Defenders, and Fathers and Families Support Center.

Katie is excited about staying in touch with her fellow dual-degree graduates. “They have been my constant support system and built-in community since our first day here, and are already doing amazing things!” She will put her own dual-degree skills to good use after graduation as a Health Scientist and Presidential Management Fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.

Katie would like to thank her cohort and fellow graduates; Mykael Ornbaun (a Brown School alum); professors Darrell Hudson and Akilah Collins-Anderson, Molly Metzger, Rodrigo Siqueira-Reis, Angela Hobson, Ragini Maddipati, and Shruti Desai; and staff members Katie Von De Linde, Katie Noonan, and Danielle Bristow.

Whether to return children to in-person classes during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a tough decision for many parents, but it’s been an especially difficult one for families whose children have special needs. Researchers at the Brown School Evaluation Center recently completed listening sessions with families and staff in the St. Louis Special School District to better understand the barriers to COVID testing. They came away with findings that inform what parents and staff are looking for in information and communication that can encourage testing as a way to reopen schools.​

“Our discussions with parents and staff gave us rich insight into the special challenges faced by families and schools alike,” said Nancy Mueller, director of the Evaluation Center. “The information we received is helping to guide our testing and communications protocols as our team conducts testing in the schools.”​

The 31 listening sessions were conducted last fall with 24 family members and 57 school staff as part of a larger study led by the Washington University School of Medicine in a partnership with the district, which serves students with special needs, including intellectual and developmental disabilities. The research is funded by a two-year, $5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to the School of Medicine, which is offering weekly saliva-based COVID-19 tests to students, teachers and staff in the district’s six schools.​

Staff and parents shared similar benefits and similar concerns about returning to school in person. Many recognized the benefits of in-person learning, such as increased access to educational opportunities, care and therapies, as well as the enhanced social and emotional benefits of in-person class. Some, however, were still anxious, citing the challenges in implementing social hygiene and preventive measures at school, as well as the risk for more severe complications for students with special needs, were they to contract the virus.​

Families said the saliva-based testing helped keep schools safe and increased their comfort level for returning children to school. Many parents applauded the saliva tests, which were easier for many special-needs students than nasal swabs.​

“I just think having this option in any way, shape or form is fantastic,” one parent said. “And it completely increases my comfort level of sending my son to school in person.”​

Staff and parents alike voiced the need for frequent and consistent communication about evolving district policies and procedures, such as quarantine and contact tracing. “Providing information and providing it consistently to all students and parents is really essential right now,” one participant said. Trusted sources of information about district policies included school nurses, teachers, case managers and principals; for information about COVID, participants said they looked to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, primary care physicians and health professionals, and the Washington University research team.​/

Feedback from the listening sessions was used by research team members from the Health Communication Research Laboratory at the Brown School, who have crafted messages about testing that are now being delivered to parents, caregivers and school staff.​

Findings from the Evaluation Center’s listening sessions were compiled in a brief that has been shared with the district.​

The Brown School’s Master of Social Policy program has expanded to include a new dual-degree partnership with Hebrew University.

The two universities have had a longstanding partnership – the expansion of their collaboration will open new opportunities for students to obtain dual degrees with study in the U.S. and Israel, and provide further cross-country opportunities for faculty exchange and shared research initiatives.

A memorandum of understanding was signed by Washington University Chancellor Andrew Martin and Brown School Dean Mary McKay on behalf of WashU Oron Shagrir, Vice President of International Affairs, and Dean Mona Khoury-Kassabri signed for Hebrew University of Jerusalem and its School of Social Work and Social Welfare.

“Especially in the midst of a global health crisis, it’s exciting that our universities are responding through innovative and impactful opportunities for policy-driven and passionate students,” said McKay, the Neidorff Family and Centene Corporation Dean of the Brown School. “The shared degree program offerings by the Brown School and Hebrew University will offer students unique transdisciplinary perspectives, skills, and networks for an ever-increasingly global world.”

Khoury-Kassabri said: “Building on ongoing collaborations between the universities including faculty exchange, joint research and more. The jointly offered program gives students valuable coursework and extensive experience in the field where they get to know different and diverse social organizations and government offices.”

English-speaking students will have the opportunity to complete a dual-degree Master’s program in Nonprofit Management and Leadership in Jerusalem, and Social Policy in St. Louis in two years. Students with proficient Hebrew and English language abilities may also complete the Master of Social Policy in conjunction with Hebrew University graduate programs in Social Work, Early Childhood Studies, or Non-Profit and Community Organization Management.

Students apply to both universities separately, and will typically begin their study at Hebrew University for their first year and complete their second year at the Brown School. Recruitment for the program is already beginning ahead of the 2021-2022 academic year. The dual-degree approach builds on similar, successful degree partnerships with top universities in China led by Shenyang Guo, Frank J. Bruno Distinguished Professor of Social Work Research.

In addition to the degree partnerships with leading global universities, the MSP is open to students enrolled in the Brown School’s MSW or MPH programs as well as anyone who has previously completed a graduate degree from an accredited U.S. university.

The Masters of Social Policy program at the Brown School is expanding course offerings in 2021 with a series of classes crafted to pack a punch.

The dual-degree program helps students develop critical thinking knowledge and skills to advance equity through policy work, no matter their career track. In 2021, MSP students will be able to choose up to four credits from the short intensive classes to their studies. Course subjects cover a wide range of topics, from analysis to advocacy:

“Alongside new semester-long policy courses in public administration and applied economics, the intensive courses continue our commitment to help students acquire new knowledge and skills that our graduates have put to use in significant opportunities for policy analysis, implementation and practice,” said Dan Ferris, assistant dean for policy initiatives. “It is a critical time for developing policy leadership and these courses are one of many ways Brown School students are preparing for impact.”

The short, intensive courses and MSP program dovetail with other policy opportunities on campus. One example is the Graduate Policy Scholars program, created by the Clark-Fox Policy Institute and co-led with the Social Policy Institute. The year-long experiential  and extracurricular learning program introduces students to policy practice and analysis. Another example is the Inclusive Voting: Key to Democracy project, part of the voter access and engagement work done by the  Center for Social Development. In fall 2020, students volunteered with staff and faculty at polls across the St. Louis region.  

Want to know more? Watch the replay of Policy Forward: Overview of the Master of Social Policy.

More than half of cervical cancer cases in the United States occur in women who have not had timely Pap smears and/or HPV tests — screenings that allow for detection of precancerous or cancerous cells on the cervix. Encouraging low-income women in particular to participate in such screenings likely would improve cancer detection and save lives, but health-care professionals have been uncertain of how best to improve patient adherence to screenings and follow-ups involving abnormal results.

Women with low incomes sometimes skip Pap smears and other cancer prevention screenings because they are focused on more pressing needs such as housing, food and other necessary expenses. So, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis evaluated efforts to help such women obtain cervical cancer screenings.

The scientists studied a group of female callers in Missouri seeking assistance from a free and confidential phone service that helps people find basic resources. The researchers determined that many female callers were due for cervical cancer screenings but most did not schedule one, even with the support of a health navigator, an individual trained to help people access medical care. Their findings indicate a new, more involved approach is needed to achieve such screenings and, ultimately, lower the number of women treated for advanced cancer.

“Reasons for inadequate screening are many and often deeply rooted to social and structural determinants of health that drive health inequities,” said first author Lindsay Kuroki, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the School of Medicine. “We wanted to determine the need for cervical cancer screening among women seeking assistance with unmet basic needs and to assess different methods of encouraging callers to seek Pap screening. Connecting underserved women to cervical cancer-screening services and assisting them with barriers to access medical care can improve health equity and reduce cancer disparities.”

The findings are published in April in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Participants were recruited from June 2010 through June 2012 from among callers to United Way 2-1-1 Missouri, a telephone helpline for local health and social service resources. Most callers seek help with basic needs such as food, utility bills, shelter and unexpected expenses.

Of 932 callers, 211 were referred for cervical cancer screenings. Callers were randomized to one of three conditions: phone call only; phone call and a print reminder; or a phone call and a personal navigator. The researchers looked at how many women contacted a clinic to schedule a Pap test one month after receiving a referral.

Patients in need of Pap screening had multiple cervical cancer risk factors. These women had a mean age of 48.2 years, were predominantly non-white, poor and unemployed, not married, and actively smoking. Nearly all (94.7%) female callers, regardless of their need for Pap testing, had at least one unmet basic need, with callers reporting an average of two unmet needs.

Women in the group that was assigned health navigators reported higher rates of contacting Pap services (29.6%) than those given phone calls only (15.1%), or phone calls and tailored print reminders (13.4%). Health navigators tripled the likelihood that women made contact with Pap services, and this remained true even among women with multiple unmet needs. Nevertheless, only 41 of 211 (19.4%) women who were overdue for Pap testing and received a referral contacted the referred clinic to schedule cervical cancer screenings.

The scientists said future research is necessary to understand how unmet basic needs pose barriers to cervical screening and how effective interventions to meet basic needs may lead to improved access to cancer prevention services. Some of these interventions might include immediate help such as assisting women with transportation and child care. Other interventions might focus on redesigning health systems and influencing social policy to provide women at risk for cervical cancer with secure homes free of hunger and tobacco.

“Women contacting 2-1-1 are likely to have health needs that greatly exceed those of the general population, in addition to lacking financial resources and social support required to seek cervical cancer screening,” said senior author Matthew Kreuter, PhD, the Kahn Family Professor of Public Health at the Brown School. “Continuing this line of research is critical to improving outcomes for low-income, medically underserved populations. No woman should die from a preventable cancer.”