UNE well represented at National Cancer Institute interprofessional exchange
Six interprofessional faculty and staff members from the University of New England were competitively selected from national grant applicants to attend the National Cancer Institute-funded Interprofessional Education eXchange (iPEX) training in Chicago from Nov. 6 to 9, 2022.
The purpose of the iPEX training grant is to develop and present a plan to advance interprofessional palliative care education for UNE health professions students in the fields of nursing, occupational therapy, osteopathic medicine, physical therapy, and social work.
The team members who participated will develop, implement, and evaluate interprofessional education (IPE) in palliative care in oncology, including serious chronic illnesses like neurologic, cardiovascular, and pulmonary diseases.
A national community of leading-edge IPE educators and clinicians mentored the UNE team in developing a detailed plan to implement four one-hour virtual symposia on “Living With and Beyond Cancer” for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in health care professions. The sessions are planned for 2023.
The training grant team included Kris Hall, M.F.A., program manager of UNE’s Center for Excellence in Collaborative Education; Valerie Jones, LMSW, assistant clinical professor of social work; Amy Litterini, PT, D.P.T., associate clinical professor of physical therapy; Regi Robnett, Ph.D., OTR/L, professor emerita of occupational therapy; Nancy Jo Ross, Ph.D., RN, assistant clinical professor of nursing; and Susan Wehry, M.D., director of the AgingME Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program and associate professor of geriatrics in the UNE College of Osteopathic Medicine. Paul Segal, D.O., of the College of Osteopathic Medicine recently joined the team as well.
Litterini, as a member of the MaineHealth Cancer Care Network team — comprising 11 cancer centers across Maine and New Hampshire — remarked, “Due to the unique interdisciplinary nature of both oncology and palliative care, it is critical to have health care education aligned with these principles. As the next generation of our treating clinicians, building a foundational mindset of interprofessional collaboration for our students is a key component of their education.”
After the workshop concluded, Hall and Ross had the opportunity to connect with faculty and staff from the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFUMS), with whom they have been collaborating for many years.
Hall and Ross toured Rosalind Franklin's Dewitt C. Baldwin Institute for Interprofessional Education, where all first-year students in clinical programs complete a Foundations in Interprofessional Practice course and where collaborative simulation is the norm.
"Our two Universities have been working together on scholarship and research initiatives for five years providing unique opportunities for students and faculty alike" said Sarah Garber, director of Interprofessional Studies in the RFUMS College of Pharmacy. "By working together, we can have a greater impact than we can if we only ever work within our own institutional siloes."
