Public health and social work are multidisciplinary professions. Both utilize theoretical frameworks from several disciplines, while simultaneously developing professional literatures of their own. Both train persons to work with numerous special populations. Both are struggling with the concept of the multidisciplinary team and the potential implications of overlapping skills and knowledge. This paper examines geriatric and gerontological training and educational curriculum developments within MPH and MSW programs. Historically, educational programs have attempted to socialize students to a professional identity while emphasizing the benefits of cooperative relationships in multidisciplinary efforts. Today the trend toward developing extensive specializations within each profession may be creating competitive rather than cooperative relationships, turf strugglees, and/or retreats into professional strongholds rather than encouraging joint cooperation. The tensions between geriatric and/or gerontologicall...