Interprofessional Education Leadership Team receives national award

The team that has been charting a course for interprofessional education (IPE) at UB for the past six years has been named a recipient of a national award.

UB’s IPE Leadership Team has been recognized by the National Academies of Practice with the Interprofessional Group Recognition Award, which honors groups that have made enduring contributions to interprofessional practice and education. The award will be presented March 5 during the National Academies of Practice annual meeting in San Diego.

The 19-person leadership team develops, implements and assesses UB’s interprofessional education program. Its members play an active role in the education mission of UB’s IPE program, and are active in advancing the field of interprofessional education through their research and national presentations.

“It is a real honor to work with such a dedicated and talented group of faculty. These outstanding faculty members use their extensive collective expertise to ensure our UB health professions students graduate with high-quality interprofessional collaboration and teamwork skills so that as health practitioners, they will improve patient/client and community health,” says Patricia Ohtake, assistant vice president for interprofessional education and chair of the IPE Leadership Team. She is also an associate professor in the physical therapy program in the School of Public Health and Health Professions.

Interprofessional education is a critical component of the curriculum for UB’s health sciences students. IPE prepares these students to work in a collaborative, team environment to provide highly effective patient- and population-centered care. Interprofessional teams enhance the quality of patient care, lower health care costs, decrease patients’ length of stay and reduce medical errors.

“UB’s IPE Leadership Team is a dedicated group of faculty who, through their research, practice and collaboration, continue to advance the important role interprofessional education plays for our health sciences students,” says Allison Brashear, vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. “This national recognition is well-deserved, and speaks to the tremendous impact UB’s IPE Leadership Team has made to the field.”

Over the past five years, UB’s IPE Leadership Team has achieved the following:

• Provided interprofessional education to more than 5,000 students in 15 programs across nine schools and colleges. Programs include Athletic Training, Audiology, Counseling Psychology, Dental Medicine, Dietetics, Healthcare Management, Medicine, Nursing, Nurse Practitioner, Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Public Health, Social Work and Speech Language Pathology. Schools represented include the College of Arts and Sciences; Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; schools of Dental Medicine, Management, Nursing, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Public Health and Health Professions, Social Work; and the Graduate School of Education. In addition, Canisius College’s physician assistant program is a partner with UB’s IPE program.

• Developed the Interprofessional Collaborative Practice Micro-credential Program comprised of three digital badges. This is the largest micro-credential program at UB.
  

• Advanced the field of interprofessional education and practice through their research, including participation in 14 interprofessional education and collaborative practice grants totaling more than $13 million, publication of 26 peer-reviewed articles, and 55 presentations at national and international meetings.

Since 2016, the UB IPE Leadership Team has been recognized with 13 awards for their teaching, research and service.

In addition to Ohtake, members of UB’s IPE Leadership Team include:

• Gretchen Bennett, associate professor, Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences.

• Kelly Foltz-Ramos, assistant professor, School of Nursing.
• Nicholas M. Fusco, clinical associate professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
• Joseph E. Gambacorta, clinical associate professor, School of Dental Medicine.
• James M. Harris, assistant dean for administrative operations, School of Dental Medicine.
• Lisa Jane Jacobsen, associate dean for medical curriculum, Jacobs School.
• Isok Kim, associate professor, School of Social Work.
• Nicole Klem, dietetic internship program director, School of Public Health and Health Professions (SPHHP).
• Jessica Kruger, clinical assistant professor, Department of Community Health and Health Behavior, SPHHP.
• Kimberly Krytus, assistant dean, SPHHP.
• Ryan Krzyzanowicz, clinical associate professor, Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, SPHHP.
• Aimee Larson, clinical assistant professor and physician assistant program director, Canisius College.
• Amy Gische Lyons, associate director, Health Sciences Library.
• Catherine M. Mann, clinical associate professor, School of Nursing.
• Kirk Personius, clinical associate professor, Department of Rehabilitation Science, SPHHP.
• Amy L. Reynolds, associate professor, Department of Counseling, School and Educational Psychology, Graduate School of Education.
• Wei Sun, associate professor, Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences.
• Janice Tona, clinical associate professor, Department of Rehabilitation Science, SPHHP.
• Larry Zielinski, executive in residence, School of Management.