UNE Showcases Interdisciplinary Innovations at the Heartland Interprofessional Education Conference

UNE administration, faculty, and professional staff showcased their innovations in interdisciplinary collaboration at the fourth annual Heartland Interprofessional Education Conference of Clarkson College.

The event was held virtually earlier this month.

Shelley Cohen Konrad, Ph.D., LCSW, FNAP, director of UNE’s Center for Excellence in Collaborative Education (CECE), gave the keynote speech at the conference, “Re-envisioning ‘About, From, and With’: Thoughts about the Future of Interprofessional Health Education and Practice.” Cohen Konrad also presented as part of a panel titled: “A Humble Reflection on Present Challenges, Impending Changes, and Future Possibilities.”

Both presentations invited the national audience of more than 170 attendees to consider the next steps needed to improve health, health education, and team-based health care practice.

Collyn J. Baeder, M.P.H., associate clinical professor and internship coordinator for Health, Wellness, and Occupational Studies; Susan E. Farady, J.D., associate professor of Marine Affairs; and Alethea Cariddi, M.S.Ed., assistant director of Sustainability, gave an oral presentation titled “An Innovative Event Production & Implementation Model to Advance Sustained Transdisciplinary Collaboration in Higher Education.” They discussed their work on UNE’s Planetary Health Council (PHC), as part of the international Planetary Health Alliance. In collaboration with Cohen Konrad and CECE, the PHC team develops semesterly events, each involving an interdisciplinary panel of three UNE experts. Their presentation highlighted how this model fosters sustained collaboration between the colleagues involved as panelists and event planners, and lasting partnerships between the University’s programs, departments, and colleges.

Since 2017 UNE has been an institutional member of the international Planetary Health Alliance, a Harvard-led consortium of more than 300 universities, non-governmental organizations, and other institutions spanning more than 60 countries. At UNE, the Planetary Health Council works to strengthen bridges among our robust environmental sciences and health professions programs and to disseminate planetary health content through academics, research, and events.

The PHC regularly partners with the Center for Excellence in Collaborative Education. CECE is UNE’s hub for interprofessional education (IPE) and collaborative practice. Recognized as a national IPE leader, UNE is the only institution in New England that is part of the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education’s prestigious Innovation Network. CECE prepares students to work collaboratively, across disciplines, to achieve successful outcomes as members of clinical and community teams.