The community moderator program is an initiative that gives users of the Resource Exchange more opportunities to interact with each other – and recognized leaders in interprofessional practice education. Each month we’ll feature a different community moderator to help users determine the best contact for specific questions and topics.

A health professions education consultant and practicing family physician, Jill Thistlethwaite credits her early  work within a collaborative environment in the UK for sparking her interest in interprofessional practice and education (IPE).  

Jill has authored a book on values-based interprofessional education, co-authored four books and has published over 80 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters. Her primary interests in IPE include communication skills and professionalism. 

In 2014, through funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Jill spent four months at the National Center as a Fulbright Senior Scholar. During her time at the National Center, she worked to share her extensive research and expertise in IPE before returning to the University of Technology - Sydney where she is currently a professor of medical education.

As a community moderator, she is available to answer your questions about interprofessional practice and education and help make connections between individuals with similar interests. Learn more about Jill below!

Q:  How did you get started in interprofessional education and collaborative practice?

JT:  In the United Kingdom in the 1990s, I was a practicing family physician within a collaborative environment where it just seemed logical to hold interdisciplinary education sessions with the entire team. As a senior lecturer at a medical school in the UK, I was part of establishing interdisciplinary teamwork sessions for medical and nursing students. We held communication workshops for recently graduated nurses, doctors and pharmacists as well. Around that time, I was also asked by Hugh Barr of CAIPE to become an associate editor for the Journal of Interprofessional Care. Things just grew from there.

Q:  What inspires you about this work?

JT: Interprofessional practice seems like an intuitive method for optimal health care delivery. Continuing to work as a general practitioner during my time as academic has translated into advocating for IPE and policy change in relation to health services. 

Q:  What are your primary areas of interest?

JT: I have a very wide interest base! Currently it involves assessment of interprofessional outcomes and competencies as a complex skill (as opposed to reducing it to its components). At the moment, I am also writing about identity and leadership within IPE. 

Q:  What are some interesting projects you're working on now or have planned for the future?

JT: I’ve been working on developing an assessment tool for interprofessional teamwork – the individual Teamwork Observation and Teamwork Tool (iTOFT) - both basic and advanced versions.  I recently submitted a report on this tool to our Australian funding body and I hope to pursue further testing.  I am also co-editing a third volume on leadership for collaborative practice.

Q:  Anything additional to share about the community moderator program, the National Center or IPE?

JT: There is a need to get more people contributing to the discussions surrounding IPE! Asking questions and communicating will lead to improved interdisciplinary practice.   

Do you think Jill could help answer your IPE-related questions?  Visit her National Center profile to view her recent contributions and to send her an email.