moocow in the city

one cow. many pastures.

August 2020

open pasture
moocowinthecity No Comments

First Day of School, Context is Key & New Routines

Today is the first day of my DSW program! The program begins with some wonderful cohort building, a thorough explanation of what is to come ahead through our formal onboarding (virtually) via our two day orientation, hope, and excitement.

The program also begins within the context of the United States closest to Civil War than it ever has been in anyone’s living memory; taking place in the greater context of a pandemic that is taking both a physical, economic, and mental health toll on the entire nation, and – on a Macro Level – the globe.

Context is important. Context helps us understand the whats and the whys of what’s happening now, and helps us put those questions into a framework that we can understand for patients when we ask “what happened?” when begining to explore trauma [zotpressInText item=”H4V6HWT7″ etal=”yes”]. Context is the difference between seeing the larger picture (as scary as it sometimes is), and staying stuck at the micro level. Context is what allows us to function at the three levels of our practice (Micro, Mezzo, and Macro). Context is what also allows us to address policy, and shut down bullshit when we see it (e.g. those bills that magically take away context when discussing funding important programs, or providing relief, etc.).

Context is key.

And in this context I begin some new habits; daily writing among them. Years ago, I used to blog profilically (back before LiveJournal was bought, and sold, and bought, and sold, and eventually bought by a Russian company and then had its data illegal transferred out of California (more on that in another post, because I think it has a lot of relevance to what we’re experiencing today).

In any event, my new routine is to write daily, whether academic, or personal…I am going to write…hopefully this will also put my studies, my thoughts on class (both economic and what I’m learning in my program), my life, and what we are experiencing in the United States right now, into context.

[zotpressInTextBib]

DSW Graduate Perpetual Studenthood
moocowinthecity No Comments

Starting my Doctor of Social Work Degree & Reducing the Feedback Loop

Today was the first day of DSW orientation for what is going to be the second cohort of students (Class of 2023!) for the UB School of Social Work’s Doctor of Social Work Program in Social Welfare & Implementation Science. A forward thinking program working to bridge the gap between agencies and universities in order to reduce the time between when research is conducted and when research is implemented in the field.

It was wonderful to meet my colleagues virtually (while I would have loved to have met them IRL, social distancing and safety remain paramount as we continue to battle COVID-19). I live in University Heights and work one minute from my house in the same zip-code on the East Side. University Heights and my workplace share a zip-code of 14215. Presently, and throughout the pandemic, the 14215 has had some of the highest infection rates in the City of Buffalo.

I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that a few capstone projects are likely going to be on implementing interventions during pandemics. I couldn’t help but reflect on what it means to be starting now, in this context, in this background, in this zip-code, in this 2020 reality of the United States.

So what is my DSW, what exactly am I studying, and why?

Currently it’s estimated that it takes around ten years for completed research to be implemented in the field. This means that once initial research has hit the ground running (…ten years later…) that a feedback loop has to be created between the universities and researchers who can study it further and the agencies who are implementing it.

The researchers need to find out if their interventions are effective, if they’re applicable to other groups (have they only been studied on one kind of group, or one kind of condition?), and what (if any) changes can, or need to be made for them to be transferable…and then we wait even longer for more research to be done, that research to be disseminated back to the field and implemented again, and feedback sent back to the universities (and round and round and round we go).

My cohort, and the cohort before us…and those that are going to come after us, are about to change all of that. We’re working to reduce that feedback loop, to make it more efficient, and to work to understand systemic barriers that agencies, and workers face, along with the populations that they serve. We also want to reduce the barriers that researchers have, in order to shorten bridges and close gaps. While we do this, we conduct our own research into the best ways of implementing new evidence based practices, science, and technologies into the field so that they can be deployed as safely and as rapidly as possible.

What can we do to make sure agencies and workers remain on top of cutting edge information and technology while understanding the realities they face in their day-to-day lives? How do we help researchers design methods that take into account better the realities of the field, so that they can receive more accurate data? How do we make that feedback loop into weeks or months instead of a decade? A lofty goal, but a necessary one as we move past 2020 and into the future.

I am beyond excited. I took a lot of notes in my BuJo today; I would say that most of them were some inspirational, in the moment quotes, from our professors (and others were resources, and just good information to have). I need to now process that, and this moment.

Welcome to UB Class of 2023!

open pasture
moocowinthecity No Comments

Preparing For Quiet in the Heights

I have always loved living in University Heights. From my first forays as a visitor making my way to Amy’s Place, to my first apartments it held a special place for me. The real magic, though, was when I finally started staying summers as an undergrad, instead of returning home. Taking summer courses, allowing my mind to expand and wander, while at the same time listening to music, walking, drinking iced tea and soaking in the neighborhood is still, to this day, one of my favorite memories. Equally, perhaps, as enjoyable as the memories I hold of sitting at restaurant tables outside watching students return and move back in. There was always excitement in the air, and I was happy having been firmly established in my apartment at the time that I didn’t need to do anything, or any heavy lifting: I could just people watch and soak up the energy.

I have always loved how much a part The Heights is with UB (though, sometimes to the consternation of the neighbors, the university, or both). I love the idealism, the activism, the antics of the frats (usually. Not the hazing, to be sure, but certainly the goofiness that goes on at all hours). I love the music, and the casual football, and the study sessions. I love the countless eateries. I love the constant-noise-but-not-too-big-a-noise-because-we’re-studying hum that exists.

I love the sound of UB’s clock tower. I love knowing my way around Buffalo by the position of South Campus. When looking to buy what is my first (and last!) house, I was happy to purchase it in University Heights.

Many years ago, when I was still in Israel, and still in Uniform, a friend of a friend who I had helped get into my unit (an elite nerd unit) remarked, as we were talking about whether or not we were going to stay in Israel, that he was going to place money on the fact that I wouldn’t. He shared ‘you can’t, you need to be in a small town, as a college professor to be happy…” and while not a college professor (yet?), and while I vehemently disagreed with him then (Zionist that I am)…he was right, I have to live in a University Town, with a University Vibe, and a University Library, and University Life to be happy…and so here I am, happy…but also quite sad.

I am sad that this year is, likely, to be more quiet than in the past. Much, much more quiet. I purchased my house in January looking forward to watching students move in, and University Heights come alive this autumn. Small, and certainly insignificant on the global and universal scale of the pandemic we’re facing, but still, a loss that I’m grieving this year, will be the cacophony of moving trucks and cars, worried parents and embarrassed students, long lines at the coffee shop and book stores…and other signs that my alma mater is the beating heart of the place I love to call home.