Resource Center

The National Center recently convened an engaging meeting to set a research and evaluation agenda aimed at building a business case for interprofessional practice and education.  Colleagues from around the country—many of them members of the Nexus innovations incubator—convened in Minneapolis for  two and half days, where they explored approaches for testing innovative ideas and creating new knowledge that will lead to a sustainable transformation of the U.S. health care workforce. 

This morning, the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education hosted a celebration of progress toward better health in Minnesota. Nearly 75 faculty, staff and guests gathered over breakfast to learn about both the National Center and the Minnesota Primary Care Transformation Collaborative. 

The National Center team is on the road nearly every week, connecting with colleagues in health professions education and practice all over the country.  These connections help the team learn from many diverse activities to inform the center’s work.

The specialty of biomedical health informatics (BMHI) celebrates interprofessional discovery and is committed to improving the safety, outcomes, and efficiency of health care.  Informatics touches and transforms care in nearly every setting: from the home, clinics, hospital intensive care and surgery suites, to public health.

Matt Haugen and Meredith Fisher joined our National Center team around April. This was about the time that we had completed the initial thinking about the center, including a brand strategy to communicate our vision. The fun was over; it was time to turn to the practical aspects of our work.

Scott Reeves, editor of the Journal of Interprofessional Care (JIC), is a close colleague of mine.

As we continue to build an interprofessional culture, we look to role models and advocates to lead the way. It’s our job to find those who are doing it, and link with those who want to do it, expanding the network of IPCP which in turn expands the network for IPE opportunities.

We all know the importance of interprofessional education and practice. What we need to learn is how to transform an academic curriculum so that it strengthens health students’ collaborative practice skills, demonstrates how to employ those skills in a professional environment, and fosters practice settings that not only welcome, but thrive on interprofessional and collaborative care. To this end, our task at hand is to marry interprofessional education with practice for current and future practitioners.

On April 5th, UB’s School of Public Health and Health Professions (SPHHP) hosted a day of events with Glen E. Gresham Visiting Professor Ivy Oandasan. Ivy engaged in a talk about “Being on the Cutting Edge – Advancing Interprofessional Education for Quality Care.” Without a doubt, she captivated the audience of 160 faculty, students and guests with her knowledge and enthusiasm about the future of interprofessional education and care.

Leadership in IPE calls for creating a culture of collaboration among faculty, students, universities and communities. We must model what we teach. To advance this spirit of leadership and culture in IPE at UB, we are fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from one of the best. UB’s School of Public Health and Health Professions (SPHHP) is proud to host a day of events April 5th with Dr. Ivy Oandasan, an international leader in IPE, and SPHHP’s 3rd Annual Glen E. Gresham Visiting Professor.