National Center Announces New Nexus Distinguished Scholars
As the inaugural year of the Nexus Distinguished Scholars program comes to a close, the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education is pleased to announce that two new Scholars have been selected to join the honorary program. Please join us in congratulating our new Nexus Distinguished Scholars, Darla Spence Coffey, PhD, MSW, FNAP and David Pole, PhD, MPH who will serve alongside inaugural Scholar, Gerri Lamb, PhD, RN, FAAN.
“As Director of the National Center, I am delighted to welcome the Nexus Distinguished Scholars to join the National Center work,” said Chris Arenson, MD, Director of the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education. “Our Scholars bring valuable expertise and lived experience as senior-level individuals who care deeply about the field of interprofessional practice and education. They are willing to have hard conversations about the field that facilitate dialogue and learning together.”
Nexus Distinguished Scholars are individuals who have served in senior-level roles within academic and/or health settings and have a demonstrated track record of commitment to advancing interprofessional practice and education as well as a willingness to ask tough and thought-provoking questions. As Scholars, these individuals will encourage and support the interprofessional practice and education community to talk about important questions while serving as a sounding board to National Center leadership on actionable strategies to support and advance interprofessional practice and education implementation to achieve outcomes that matter most to the individuals and populations served.
Meet our Nexus Distinguished Scholars
Gerri Lamb, PhD, RN, FAAN is Professor Emerita at Arizona State University (ASU), Founding Director of ASU’s Center for Advancing Interprofessional Practice, Education and Research, author of numerous papers and learning programs on IPE, teamwork in primary care, and the interprofessional clinical learning environment (CLE), and principal investigator on IPECP grants funded by the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, ASU-Dignity Health Research Initiatives, the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education and others.
Darla Spence Coffey, PhD, MSW, FNAP served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) from 2012 to 2022. Coffey is a Senior Leadership Fellow at the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania, is currently engaged in social work program review and consultation in mainland China in partnership with the Chinese Association of Social Work Education, and serves in multiple advisory roles for social work integration in health education. Throughout her career, Coffey has worked to integrate social work into interprofessional networks and activities nationally and internationally.
David Pole, PhD, MPH spent 20 years deeply involved in developing curriculum and training at Saint Louis University, serving as the Director of the Center for Interprofessional Education and Research and serving as Assistant Director on the Continuous Quality Improvement Council and as Co-Chair of the DEI Council at the School of Medicine. Prior to his work at SLU, Pole worked for the Pritkin Program in frontline care, education, and leadership and directed multiple projects with the Urban American Indian Health Program non-profit. Throughout his career, Pole has demonstrated a passion for community health and building equitable community-academic partnerships.
What does it mean to be a Nexus Distinguished Scholar?