海角直播

Interprofessional Education is important to how the 海角直播 of Health and Human Sciences prepares students for professional practice. Interim CHHS Dean Jess Retrum, Ph.D., explains what IPE means, why it matters now and how it connects to the future of CHHS and the Gina and Frank Day Health Institute.听

What is Interprofessional Education?听

Interprofessional Education, or IPE, helps students understand the unique expertise each profession contributes while building the shared values, mutual respect, and communication skills needed to work effectively as a team. Rather than learning only within their own disciplines, students from programs such as nursing, social work, counseling, nutrition, speech-language pathology, health administration, criminal justice, and exercise and sport sciences work together to address realistic challenges. In doing so, they learn how different professions approach problems, how their roles complement one another, and how collaboration can lead to better outcomes for individuals, families, and communities.听

IPE is not simply about bringing students from different programs together鈥攊t is about faculty intentionally creating meaningful opportunities for students to learn how different professions can work together to better serve individuals, families and communities. Faculty from different disciplines work together to design and facilitate learning experiences that help students see beyond the perspective of their own profession. They bring their distinct expertise into shared case studies, simulations, community-based projects, classroom activities, and other experiences where students practice working across professional boundaries. By modeling mutual respect, shared decision-making and collaborative problem-solving, faculty demonstrate the same interprofessional skills we want students to carry into their careers.听听听

This reflects how health care and human service systems actually work. The most complex challenges facing people and communities cannot be addressed by one profession alone. Simply put, IPE helps students become better teammates as well as professionals.听

Why is IPE especially important right now?听

Health care and human services are changing rapidly. Colorado faces significant workforce shortages, increasingly complex patient and community needs, and growing recognition that the best outcomes happen when professionals collaborate across disciplines. 海角直播 Denver is uniquely positioned to lead because our students learn through hands-on experiences alongside hundreds of community partners.听

IPE strengthens that mission by helping students develop the collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills employers need. It also aligns directly with CHHS priorities: student success, workforce development, community engagement, and preparing graduates who can make an immediate impact.听

How does IPE fit into the future of CHHS and the Day Health Institute?听

Faculty collaboration on IPE will be one of the defining experiences that brings the building to life. The Gina and Frank Day Health Institute Tower will give us an extraordinary opportunity to reimagine how future health and human-service professionals learn together. The DHI Tower is not simply a shared facility; it will be a collaborative learning ecosystem where students, faculty, community partners and employers can work across disciplines to address real-world challenges.听听

What is your vision for IPE moving forward?听

My vision is for IPE to become part of the culture of CHHS rather than a standalone program. Success means every CHHS student graduates with meaningful experience that enhances their ability to work collaboratively and efficiently with other disciplines, as they will be expected to do in the workforce. It means faculty naturally integrate collaboration into the curriculum; community partners actively participate, and employers recognize 海角直播 Denver graduates as exceptionally prepared to work in interdisciplinary teams.听

What should students expect to gain from participating in IPE?听

Students should expect to graduate with more than technical knowledge in their own discipline. Through IPE, they develop communication, teamwork, leadership, adaptability, and problem-solving skills. They also gain confidence: They learn to navigate complex situations, appreciate different professional perspectives, and contribute to coordinated teams focused on better outcomes for patients, clients, families, and communities.听

Ultimately, IPE helps students transition more successfully from the classroom to the workplace because they have already practiced working the way today鈥檚 health and human-service professionals work every day.听

CHHS thanks retiring professor A.J. Alejano-Steele for her leadership in advancing IPE and welcomes Kathy Hardin, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, as director of Interprofessional Education. Hardin will work closely with Kylie Magreger, MSN-Ed, RN, CHSE, the new director of Interprofessional Simulation, to build on that foundation.听