The National Center recently launched the “community moderator” program, an initiative that gives users of the Resource Exchange and Online Community more opportunities to interact with each other – and recognized leaders in interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP).

For the more than 1,000 registered users of the Resource Exchange, the community moderators can be seen as IPECP guides, offering a point-of-contact for questions while also giving insight into commonly asked questions or challenges about IPECP implementation.

Sean Lind, Resource Exchange program manager, said the addition of community moderators is the next step in fostering the growth of an online community where individuals and organizations can tell the story of where IPECP has been, what’s been learned, what’s happening now and what’s next.

“This is a great opportunity to realize the potential of the Resource Exchange and Online Community,” said Lind.  “Having the community moderators available to support the active exchange of information is one way we hope to inspire conversations around specific resources, share best practices and discuss new approaches that can then be continued by the broader IPECP community.”

The eight inaugural moderators, who in addition to leading discussions and connecting individuals to items of interest, are assisting with the evaluation and recommendation of resources and National Center outreach efforts.

The community moderators include:

• Jody Frost – PT, DPT, PhD, FNAP; Lead Academic Affairs Specialist, Program Director, Education Leadership Institute Fellowship with the American Physical Therapy Association
• Donna Grant-Mills – RDS, DDS, MEd; Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions, Howard University College of Dentistry
• Jane Miller – PhD; Director, Interprofessional Simulation Center, University of Minnesota
• Elyse Perweiler – MA, MPP, RN; Director, New Jersey Area Health Education Center; Associate Director for Planning, Development and Public, New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging
• Madeline Schmitt – PhD, RN, FAAN, FNAP; Professor Emerita, University of Rochester School of Nursing; Editor Emerita, Journal of Interprofessional Care; Founding member of the American Interprofessional Health Collaborative
• Brian Sick – MD; Interprofessional Academic Deputy, University of Minnesota
• Jill Thistlethwaite – MBBS, MMEd, PhD, FRCGP, FRACGP; Professor of Medical Education, University of Technology, Sydney; Fulbright Senior Scholar
• Joe Zorek – PharmD; Assistant Professor of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin, Madison; 2014 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Rufus A. Lyman Award

Watch as Lind and Dr. Thistlethwaite discuss the program in the two-minute video below.

Community moderators were appointed by Barbara Brandt, director, National Center, based upon practical experience, research focus and demonstrated expertise in the field of IPECP.  We’ll be featuring a different community moderator in the National Center newsletter in the coming months. In the meantime, you can contact each of them via email by visiting his or her Resource Exchange profile.

For additional information about the community moderator program, please contact Sean Lind.