Washington, DC – The Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) is pleased to announce the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has been awarded ASAHP’s Award for Institutional Excellence and Innovation in Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Health Care. The University of Cincinnati received the Program of Merit for their submission.
“ASAHP’s multidisciplinary membership has made it a leader in interprofessional health education (IPE) and practice (IPCP), and ASAHP serves as a collaborative resource and advocate for interprofessional education to students, faculty, professional accrediting bodies, and practitioners through instruction, research and service,” said ASAHP President Deb Larsen, PhD, FASAHP. “We congratulate the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and University of Cincinnati for their outstanding achievement in IPE and IPCP.”
The Department of Allied Health Sciences (DAHS) IPE team at UNC Chapel Hill is led by Dr. Judy Schmidt, Director of the Department of Allied Health Sciences Interprofessional Education and Practice. Dr. Schmidt accepted the award and commented: “Many faculty, staff and students in our department have worked tirelessly to build our IPE program and are appreciative of this recognition. Our IPE program is a member of the UNC Office of Interprofessional Education and Practice where faculty and students work together to create learning experiences that are now core components of the University’s learning environment. Moving forward, we will focus on expanding our efforts to train health profession leaders in best practices of interprofessional education and collaborative practice to ensure the highest quality of care in communities across North Carolina.”
Dr. Stephen Hooper, Associate Dean of Medicine and Chair of the Department of Allied Health Sciences, praised DAHS’ IPE work: “Over the past five years we have continued to increase our department-wide dedication to expanding and building our efforts for interprofessional education and practice that ensures that all of our students are well prepared for collaborative practice upon graduation, and that this will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of delivery systems to promote team-based, patient/family centered health care, and ultimately the quality of life of our patients, clients, and consumers.”
The College of Allied Health Sciences IPE team at the University of Cincinnati is led by Dr. Chalee Engelhard and Dr. Nancy Colletti. The award was accepted by Dr. Colletti who stated: “We are honored to have been selected as a ‘Program of Merit’. To be recognized by ASAHP with this distinction affirms our progress in interprofessional education and interprofessional collaborative practice. It empowers us to continue to expand our collective efforts to make a positive impact on student learning and the health care provided by our graduates through innovative interprofessional teaching and learning initiatives.”
Drs. Schmidt and Hooper from UNC Chapel Hill were recognized at the 2021 ASAHP Annual Conference on October 20, 2021. Both the winner and program of merit will be invited to present their work at the 2022 ASAHP Annual Conference in Long Beach, California on October 19-21, 2022.
About ASAHP
The Association of School Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) is a national professional organization of 130 universities and employers focused on critical issues affecting allied health education. ASAHP’s mission is to advance health through interprofessional collaboration.