Interprofessional collaboration conference on tap for sharing ideas and opportunities

The spirit of inquiry and discovery is strong on the Radford University campus. To enhance it further, the Waldron College of Health and Human Services (WCHHS) and its School of Nursing will host a day-long conference March 22.

The conference, titled “Creating a Culture of Interprofessional Education and Practice,” will be held in the Hurlburt Student Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free and lunch will be provided.

The conference’s keynote speakers will be Alan Dow and Pam Parsons of Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) Center for Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Care. It will also feature Ricky Cox from RU’s Appalachian Regional and Rural Studies Center. The sessions will include exercises in working collaboratively and breakout opportunities to discuss ongoing interprofessional or interdisciplinary initiatives and opportunities.

The event is part of a series of WCHHS programs focused on improving regional mental health care. It is funded by a $750,000 Advanced Nursing Education Grant from the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The grant's primary investigator, Assistant Professor of Nursing Victoria Bierman, said, “Interprofessional or interdisciplinary development is an important focus of the health care now. With this conference, we hope to discover and build upon the many ways our campus researchers are working across disciplinary lines to enhance the cultural climate at Radford for this vital work that has such an impact on student learning and professional preparation.”

Entitled "CARE: Collaboration, Awareness, Resources and Education,” the grant has led to creation of an Interprofessional Education (IPE) consortium within the WCHHS to enhance interdisciplinary work among the college's various specialties.

"On behalf of our patients and communities, we strive to develop ways to work together as a team and help our advanced practice students as they transition into the modern health care environment,” Bierman said. “We look forward to learning from and engaging our colleagues across the campus at the forum toward expanding our college and our campus’ capabilities toward that goal.” 

Registration deadline is March 8. To register, call (540) 831-7185 or email ealderman@radford.edu. For more information, contact Bierman at vbierman@radford.edu.

Jan 27, 2016