In early January — to begin the new year with a bang — we sent our first communication about the new National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education to more than 1,000 leaders interested in more effective health care delivery. The overwhelming response to my email tells me once again that the conversation about interprofessional practice and education is one of the most important topics in today’s health care environment. It also tells me that keeping the conversation robust and real time is an essential element to our success.

That’s why I’m doing this blog.

I want to hear from you and will be asking for your input. I need it. In this blog, you will learn more about our vision and the concept of the “nexus” to frame the center. You will be connected to other programs across the U.S. and internationally and be informed about functions in the center to meet your needs and support your work. And, yes, I will tell the story about how we came to name the center.

I know I can count on both long-time colleagues and new colleagues to help shape the new center and answer questions such as:

• What ultimately does success look like for the center?
• How do we engage the right people at the right time around the right tasks?
• What are the highest potential, immediate opportunities?

Any thoughts you have about these questions would be greatly appreciated. I will be dealing in more detail with each of these – and more – in future blogs.

Please know how much I am enjoying hearing from you. For example, one of the first to contact me after my email was Joe Florence, M.D., Joe is a faculty member at East Tennessee State University, implementing interprofessional education and collaborative practice. Joe and I worked together on and off when I was a University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy faculty member. I haven’t seen him for years, and I’m pleased to reconnect with him.

I also have received emails from my “current” colleagues, including some I’ve had the opportunity to visit during the past 1.5 years. There are many gems like these nationally that are currently disconnected from each other and will benefit from the support and interaction the National Center will create. Other emails are coming in from colleagues whom I have not met yet – from institutions like Midwestern University, Oregon Health Sciences University, University of Florida, University of New England, Thomas Jefferson University, Florida International University, to name a few. Others are from the practicing and payer communities.

2013 is clearly going to be a year of great challenges, great discussions and great progress. You will hear about all three, and I hope you will continue to send me your best thinking. I’m also open to ideas about blog topics or questions.

More soon…