Each year, the Michigan Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education (CIPE) honors those who have made outstanding contributions to advancing interprofessional education, practice, and scholarship through the Awards for IPE Innovation and Excellence. The awards celebrate both new, creative approaches and sustained excellence in teaching, curriculum development, and collaborative practice. The 2025 recipients were recognized at the Center’s 10-Year Anniversary Celebration, held at the Michigan League on October 9.
“It was wonderful to honor these remarkable individuals during our 10-Year Anniversary Celebration,” said Rajesh Mangrulkar, MD, FNAP, CIPE director. “Each recipient embodies the values of collaboration and innovation that have guided our community since the beginning. Choosing from among the many high-quality nominees was particularly challenging this year, reflecting the huge growth in the numbers in our IPE community of practice, and the impact that shared purpose can have on education and care across the U-M.”
Award for IPE Innovation
The 2025 Award for IPE Innovation was presented to Michael Brenner, MD, FACS, Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Brenner was recognized for his Individually Arranged Rotation in Otolaryngology, a forward-thinking model that reimagines what a clinical rotation can be for medical students and beyond.
Rather than following a traditional structure, the rotation is intentionally designed to expose students to a wide range of professionals who contribute to patient care in otolaryngology. Through guided interactions and hands-on experiences with audiologists, speech-language pathologists, nurses, and other specialists, students gain a deeper appreciation for the interprofessional nature of ENT practice. This approach builds skills in communication, teamwork, and systems-based care, helping future clinicians understand how collaborative teams contribute to improved patient outcomes. Dr. Brenner’s innovative model has become a standout example of how clinical education can be structured to foster interprofessional learning and reflection.
Award for IPE Excellence
Olivia Anderson, PhD, MPH, RD, CLC, Clinical Associate Professor in the School of Public Health, received the Award for IPE Excellence in recognition of her leadership in advancing interprofessional learning through curriculum design, scholarship, and mentorship.
Dr. Anderson’s work integrates principles of teamwork, cultural humility, and collaborative practice across the core public health curriculum, ensuring that students develop the skills and mindset necessary to work effectively within diverse health teams. Her leadership of the IPE core curriculum has led to innovative course designs that connect learners from multiple disciplines and encourage them to tackle real-world challenges in health equity and community engagement. In addition to her teaching, Dr. Anderson’s scholarship has contributed to a growing body of evidence on effective interprofessional pedagogy. Her commitment to bridging disciplines and promoting reflective, team-based learning exemplifies the collaborative spirit that drives the Center’s mission.
Team Award for IPE Excellence
The team Award for IPE Excellence was presented to Adrienne Lapidos, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, and Jason Wolfe, MA, Program Manager at the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation (IHPI). Together, Dr. Lapidos and Mr. Wolfe led a large-scale redesign of the course Understanding and Improving the U.S. Healthcare System, transforming it into one of the most comprehensive and inclusive interprofessional learning experiences at U-M.
Their reimagined course brings together faculty from 13 U-M schools and community partners to provide learners with an engaging, systems-level understanding of health care in the United States. The new structure emphasizes active learning, critical thinking, and interprofessional dialogue around topics such as health policy, care delivery models, and the social determinants of health. By blending academic and community perspectives, Lapidos and Wolfe created a modernized course that now reaches hundreds of learners each year. Their work reflects the values of innovation, inclusivity, and real-world relevance that define excellence in interprofessional education.
Student Award for IPE Excellence
The Student Award for IPE Excellence was presented to Sharmi Amin, a medical student in the University of Michigan Medical School Class of 2026. Amin has demonstrated exceptional leadership and creativity in shaping the future of interprofessional learning at U-M.
She has played a key role in reimagining the Introduction to IPE course, contributing new ideas for how early learners can meaningfully engage with interprofessional concepts. Her work focuses on developing models for student participation that place the learner’s voice at the center of IPE. Through these efforts, Amin has helped create spaces where students from different disciplines can learn with, from, and about each other in ways that feel relevant and authentic to their professional growth.
In addition to her educational contributions, Amin has established a strong record of interprofessional scholarship. She has delivered seven presentations, including a combination of posters and oral sessions, across two local, one national, and two international conferences. She was also invited to co-present a brown bag talk with Laura Smith, PT, DPT, PhD, and Hannah Edwards, MHM, for Binghamton University. Her dedication to advancing both the practice and scholarship of interprofessional education makes her a model for emerging leaders in the field.
To read about Mark Fitzgerald, DDS, the winner of our inaugural Frank Ascione Award in Recognition of Distinguished IPE Leadership, visit this link.