USER

Interprofessional education (IPE) and practice is a major part of Dr. John Tegzes’ identity as a healthcare provider and educator. As an active member of two health professions (Nursing and Veterinary Medicine) he understands innately what it means to be interprofessional, and how to communicate this in meaningful ways to health profession academics, students, and clinicians. His educational experience includes a BSN in Nursing, an MA in Applied Psychology, and a VMD in Veterinary Medicine. He further specialized in Clinical Toxicology and has worked interprofessionally as both a nurse and a veterinarian alongside physicians, nurses, and pharmacists at poison centers and diagnostic labs in Oregon and California.

His academic career has included serving as a founding faculty member of the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) at WesternU, where he was instrumental in the development of the Problem-Based Learning curriculum that is implemented there. His knowledge of small group teaching and learning, and his passion for interprofessional collaborative care led to his engagement in Western U’s IPE program. He has served on the IPE Design & Implementation Committees since their inception in 2007. He developed and implemented the IPE faculty small group facilitation skills development workshops for the past five years, and has trained well over 400 faculty from WesternU and two partner institutions. For the past two years he has worked intensively on IPE assessment including both student assessment and program outcomes assessment. In July 2012 he assumed the position of Director of IPE for WesternU.