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This is an editorial for the special issue of ANATOMICAL SCIENCES EDUCATION on Interprofessional Education in the Anatomical Sciences

To prepare future healthcare professionals to collaborate effectively, many universities have developed interprofessional education programs (IPE). Till date, these programs have been mostly courses or clinical simulation experiences. Few attempts have been made to pursue IPE in healthcare clinical settings. This article presents the results of a pilot project in which interprofessional learning activities (ILAs) were implemented during students' professional practicum and discusses the actual and potential use of informatics in the ILA implementation.

Widespread, effective identification and management of uncontrolled hypertension remains elusive, undermining our ability to reduce the impact of stroke and heart disease. The statistics are widely appreciated: roughly 30% of North Americans have hypertension and almost half are uncontrolled. Nearly 1,000 people a day die from complications attributed to hypertension, and direct and indirect costs amount to $46 billion a year in the United States alone.

Evidence is emerging that clinician empathy improves clinical outcomes, but diminishes with experience. More empathetic clinicians get better results; but more experienced clinicians tend to show less empathy.

There is increasing recognition of multiprofessional learning in anatomy and its role in medical and healthcare professions. This study utilized two components to investigate anatomy interprofessional education (AIPE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland. First, a survey involving qualitative and quantitative components asked Heads of Anatomy to report on their institutions’ uptake of AIPE.

Competency-based education and practice have become foundational for developing interprofessional education (IPE) and interprofessional collaboration. There has been a plethora of competencies developed in these areas recently, both at individual institutions and nationally; however, their effective integration and thus potential has not been fully realized educationally.

Reflection in medical education is becoming more widespread. Drawing on our Jesuit Catholic heritage, the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine incorporates reflection in its formal curriculum and co–curricular programs. The aim of this type of reflection is to help students in their formation as they learn to step back and analyze their experiences in medical education and their impact on the student.

The profession of pharmacy has evolved gradually for more than a century and has seen many educational challenges and reforms. The pharmacy curriculum is science-based and varies widely in different parts of the world in both content and outcomes. The global pharmacy curriculum could be broadly categorized as product/industry-focused or patient-focused. In the United States (US), the baccalaureate degree has been replaced with the entry level Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) curriculum.

Interprofessional education (IPE) has been a topic of national and international discussion for several decades. The recent development of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Core Competencies prompted the American Council on Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT) to consider ways the physical therapy profession could become more involved.

In 2003, we led a working conference on leadership in ethics education for physical therapy and occupational therapy entitled, "Dreamcatchers and the Common Good: Allied Health Leadership in Generational Health and Ethics."