The University of Connecticut is committed to excellence in health sciences education, research, patient care, and outreach. The University’s academic vision speaks to a commitment to interprofessional education as one of the critical centerpieces for the institution.
Definition: Interprofessional Education
When students from two or more professions learn about, from and each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes.
—World Health Organization (2010). Framework for action on interprofessional
The broader health sciences community has widely accepted the benefits of interprofessionalism to health care professionals, students and patients. A rich research environment is created when scholarship extends across professions.
In recent years, there has been increasing collaboration in all of these domains among UConn faculty and students in the various health professions/sciences, consistent with the growing emphasis on interprofessionalism.
The University’s focused efforts to enhance interprofessional education began during the fall of 2013 when the health sciences deans, established a task force with representation from health professions programs across the university.
This task force was charged with developing an interprofessional strategic plan, consistent with the University’s academic vision, which would outline the would outline the university’s goals in four domains: health professions education, patient care, scholarship, and outreach/engagement.
The Committee on Interprofessional Excellence in Healthcare (CIPEH) was established to provide ongoing support and guidance for the interprofessional programming which has expanded to include a variety of professions coming together to learn, practice, provide outreach services, and conduct research.