Dr. Jiale (Gary) Hu
Virginia Commonwealth University
Washington, DC – Today, the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) announced its $25,000 Interprofessional Collaboration Research Grant has been awarded to Jiale (Gary) Hu, PhD, RN, of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).
“We are pleased to award ASAHP’s Interprofessional Collaboration Research Grant to Dr. Hu and his team at Virginia Commonwealth University,” said ASAHP President Phyllis King, PhD, FASAHP. “His project stood out for its strong emphasis on interprofessional collaboration and use of a mixed methods research design.”
Dr. Hu currently serves as Assistant Professor and Director of Research and Global Outreach in the Department of Anesthesia at VCU’s College of Health Professions. He is the first award winner of this new research grant developed by ASAHP’s Research Committee through support from ASAHP’s Board of Directors to support innovative research projects with the highest potential to produce new knowledge and paradigms towards success in interprofessional collaboration.
“The findings from Contextual factors influencing implementation of interprofessional collaborative family-centered care (IPC FCC) for neonates during intensive care: A mixed methods study will inform future interventions aiming at enhancing partnership between families and the interprofessional healthcare team in Neonatal Intensive Care Units,” said grantee Jiale (Gary) Hu, PhD, RN, “The project would also provide insights to the development of policy and recommendations on family centered care during a pandemic. We appreciate the support from the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions and the 2021 Interprofessional Collaboration Research Grant to make it happen.”
Virginia Commonwealth University College of Health Professions Dean Susan Parish, PhD shared, “Dr. Hu’s project has the potential to become one of the leading studies to identify the contextual factors that surround the interprofessional collaborative family-centered care for neonates during intensive care. The research findings will also improve our understanding of how contextual factors are dynamic and interconnected in complex system and how these factors influence, interact, and modify the implementation of neonatal family-centered care by interprofessional teams.”
Project Summary: More than 400,000 babies might need treatments in intensive care units annually in the USA. Family-centered care has been advocated as the standard of care, as it provides benefits of enhanced family-baby interactions, better mental health for parents, and improved short-term and long-term outcomes for babies. Interprofessional collaboration plays an important role in providing family-centered care. The purpose of this funded research project is to explore how the contextual factors in complex systems can influence the implementation of interprofessional collaborative family-centered care in neonatal intensive care units. The research findings will inform future interprofessional initiatives aiming at enhancing partnership between families and health care professionals and improving patient outcomes.
Dr. Hu has also been invited to present his findings at the 2022 ASAHP Annual Conference in Long Beach, California.
About ASAHP
The Association of School Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) is a national professional organization of more than 120 universities and employers focused on critical issues affecting allied health education. ASAHP’s mission is to advance health through interprofessional collaboration.