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History

The Michigan Center for Interprofessional Education (C-IPE) was established in 2015 to transform the way the University of Michigan prepares health professional students to improve, at that time, the Triple Aims of Health: the patient experience, population health and the cost of health care.

C-IPE was funded through a grant from the Teaching and Learning in the Third Century (TLTC) Initiative. This funding source was dedicated to supporting the creation of innovative student learning experiences and developing creative approaches to the world’s greatest challenges and opportunities. This grant provided $3 million to C-IPE, with an additional $3 million matched by the Health Science Council of Deans, for a duration of five years. It was also decided that the grant would be reviewed after three years to assess the Center’s progress and discuss funding options after the initial grant ended.

The pursuit of the TLTC Initiative was not the first step in U-M’s IPE journey. In 2012, interested parties from across the health science schools convened to form the IPE Steering Committee to consider collaborative opportunities, including a potential implementation at a special needs dental clinic at the School of Dentistry. As part of this exploration, several individuals decided to attend the inaugural Interprofessional Education Collaborative Institute. In participating in this meeting, our U-M colleagues realized that several institutions across the country were far ahead in preparing students for the future of collaborative practice. These individuals became champions of what would eventually become the movement to write the TLTC grant that ultimately launched C-IPE.

To pursue the intended mission, C-IPE partnered with the following schools as collaborators:

  • School of Dentistry
  • School of Kinesiology
  • Medical School
  • School of Nursing
  • College of Pharmacy
  • School of Public Health
  • School of Social Work
  • College of Education, Health, and Human Services (U-M Dearborn)*
  • School of Health Professions and Studies (U-M Flint)*

*Added after the creation of C-IPE.

At the helm of C-IPE was its first director, Frank J. Ascione, Pharm.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., who led the charge of the 5-year plan to achieve a set of fundamental goals:

  1. Create a collaborative culture
  2. Cultivate a core interprofessional curriculum
  3. Develop faculty to teach in innovative learning environments
  4. Create a unique body of knowledge
  5. Become a national and international leader

Year One included several “first-of-its-kind” programming that established the foundation for future initiatives:

  • Launch of the beginning of the C-IPE governance structure, including the Executive Committee and Curriculum Committee.
  • In October 2015, students from across the health science schools met with faculty leaders for an Interprofessional Student Town Hall to discuss future directions for interprofessional education at the University of Michigan. The event was organized by C-IPE, Interprofessional Health Student Organization (IHSO), the Institute for Healthcare Improvement – Open School, the School of Social Work Curtis Center Program Evaluation Group and the Munger Graduate Residences.
  • A cornerstone of C-IPE’s educational curriculum, Team-Based Clinical Decision Making, was also launched this year. Students work in interprofessional teams to learn about the different professions and solve difficult patient cases. This allows them to gain an understanding of how each discipline contributes to the health care team, the importance of effective communication and the role of team collaboration in clinical decision making.
Timeline of Key Milestones
  • 2015: The Ad Hoc Administrative Advisory (AHAA) Group was tasked by the Health Science Council of Deans to accommodate variability in curricular scheduling structure and each school’s curricular needs and developed a corresponding three-part IPE Window. Final Report.
  • 2016: The Ad Hoc Administrative Advisory (AHAA) Group was tasked by the Health Science Council of Deans to explore and identify solutions to faculty incentives and challenges to engaging in IPE. Final Report.
  • 2017: Another focal point of the C-IPE curriculum, Intro to Interprofessional Education, was piloted, thanks to contributions from partners at The Center for Academic Innovation, the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT), faculty champions and engaged students from across U-M’s health science schools.
  • 2017-2022: C-IPE and CRLT collaborated as partners and facilitators to implement the Interprofessional Leadership (IPL) Fellows program, where U-M faculty could learn from and work with academic and practice leaders at the university and national levels to develop interprofessional education skills and leadership capacity, with a particular emphasis on experiential interprofessional education.
  • 2018: The Ad Hoc Administrative Advisory (AHAA) Group was tasked by the Health Science Council of Deans to address challenges for faculty who wish to be involved in IPE specifically through modifications to promotion and tenure policies. Final Report.
  • 2018: U-M’s Edward Ginsberg Center and C-IPE awarded teams up to $5,000 for the first-ever U-M Community Engagement Grants for Interprofessional Education.
  • 2018: The three year review that was agreed upon at the beginning of the grant began, resulting in a mid term report and future proposal to the Health Science Deans and the Provost. However, due to changes in the Provost position and the subsequent COVID crises, action on this report was deferred.
  • 2018-2024: the IPE Student Advisory Committee (SAC) launched, with a focus on increasing and promoting active and meaningful participation in IPE among students, with the ultimate goal of ensuring students are prepared to work in collaborative environments.
  • 2018 and 2019: IPE in Action was implemented as an in-person case-based activity to build upon the Introduction to IPE.
  • 2019: C-IPE launched its inaugural Awards for Innovation and Excellence in IPE to recognize and promote demonstrated excellence in teaching, scholarship, and/or leadership with regard to implementing and/or developing innovative, effective, and sustainable interprofessional education and practice across the U-M health science schools.
  • 2019: C-IPE prepared a final report and strategic proposal for the next 5 years of funding for 2020-25, to be presented to and decided upon by the Provost and Health Science Deans.
  • Spring 2019: The strategic proposal for extended funding was placed on hold after the Vice Provost for Engaged Learning, a huge champion for IPE, left the university for a new opportunity. C-IPE reported to this position and the extended vacancy that followed left the Center without an administrative leader for nearly a year.
  • Winter 2020: After the delay due to the reporting structure, C-IPE was scheduled to present the strategic proposal to the Provost and Health Sciences Council of Deans jointly in February 2020, with their commitment to work together to determine the future funding of the Center. This meeting was canceled and not rescheduled after administrative changes in the Provost’s Office and the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Spring 2020: C-IPE received a one-year funding extension due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, founding director Ascione delayed retirement as a search for a possible placement was put on hold.
  • 2020: A new Ad Hoc Administrative Advisory (AHAA) group was created at the request of the Health Science Council of Deans to collaboratively address racism from the interprofessional perspective of health care educators and practitioners. Final Report.
  • 2021: An integral C-IPE offering, the Longitudinal Interprofessional Family-based Experience (LIFE), was launched. LIFE merged concepts of interprofessional practice, teamwork and social determinants of health. In response to student feedback, this was implemented to replace IPE in Action.
  • 2021: Rajesh Mangrulkar is appointed director of C-IPE as founding director Frank Ascione retires.
  • 2021: The Office of the Provost and health science deans across all three campuses reaffirmed their support of the Center for IPE with an additional five-year commitment to the “Next Phase” through 2026.
  • 2021-2022: C-IPE begins the “Next Phase” of its strategic planning. The plan is launched to address the question at the core of the mission of the center: “Does IPE improve the Quadruple Aims of Health (note: this has since been updated to Quintuple Aims of Health) (better health, better patient experience, lower cost and improved provider well-being)?”

Accomplishing this goal required five interconnected strategies:

  1. The Core Curriculum
  2. Experiential Innovation
  3. Intentional Measurement and Research
  4. Educator Development
  5. Systems-Based Problem Solving
  • 2022: C-IPE transitioned from the College of Pharmacy to the Medical School, to continue to be aligned with the home of the faculty director.
  • 2024: C-IPE moved into a new collaborative office space in the Taubman Health Sciences Library (THSL), shared with RISE.
  • 2024: C-IPE begins “Stage 2” of the “Next Phase” strategic plan, which emphasizes work with systems that improve health, such as Michigan Medicine.

C-IPE and individuals doing work on its behalf have received several recognitions.

Awards