At University of Oxford conference, UNE shines as interprofessional education leader

Adrian Jung, Zoe Hull and Collyn Baeder present their research at the University of Oxford
Adrian Jung, Zoe Hull and Collyn Baeder present their research at the University of Oxford

The highlight for many in higher education is an opportunity to present a paper at an esteemed institution such as the University of Oxford. Having one’s students present their work is perhaps an even greater indicator of scholarly achievement. Such success was in abundance at the annual international interprofessional conference All Together Better Health 2016 (ATBH) on September 8, 2016.

ATBH is the leading global interprofessional practice and education conference that brings together providers, health system executives, educators, policymakers and healthcare industry leaders to advance interprofessionalism locally, regionally and worldwide. Previous ATBH conferences have been held in Kobe, Japan; London, England; Pittsburgh, USA; Stockholm, Sweden; Sydney, Australia; Vancouver, British Columbia.

UNE faculty, staff, and students presented symposia, oral reports, and posters at the event and students also participated in an interprofessional case competition. Presentations and competitions were hosted at Oxford’s Examination Schools and the Sheldonian Theatre, a historic venue located in Oxford’s medieval city center built between 1664 and 1669.

Undergraduate students Samantha Shepard (Medical Biology, ’17) and Morgan Mitchell (Health, Wellness, and Occupational Studies, ‘17) gave an oral presentation on patient-informed chronic pain that was especially well received by the international professional audience. Shepard and Mitchell also participated in a three-day case competition with students from 15 different countries. Mitchell’s team impressively took first prize in the rigorous competition. “It was an honor to represent the undergraduate student body at one of the most prestigious interprofessional conferences in the world,” said Shepard. We have worked very hard to put ourselves in a position where we could start our dissertation, what better way to do that than at a conference at Oxford!”

Recent graduates Collyn Baeder, M.P.H., Zoe Hull, M.P.H., and Adrian Jung, M.S., OTR/L, gave an oral presentation and poster session highlighting their Interprofessional Education mini-grant funded work on “Visual Voices,” an arts-based methodology that engages patients in advancing research. Three M.S.O.T. students, Michaela Hoffman, Rebecca Masterjohn, and Virginia Sedarski were also part of the project.  

Symposia (workshops) included “Team Immersion-Ah Ha Moment” presented by Shelley Cohen Konrad, Ph.D., L.C.S.W., F.N.A.P., director of UNE’s Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) and the School of Social Work, Kris Hall, M.F.A., IPEC coordinator, Kira Rodriguez, M.H.S., research associate, Dawne-Marie Dunbar, MSN/Ed., R.N., C.N.E., director of the Clinical Simulation Center and associate professor of Nursing and Jim Cavanaugh, P.T., Ph.D., associate professor of Physical Therapy. Cohen Konrad and Los Angeles artist Ted Meyer also presented “The ‘Patient’ Patient.” WCHP Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Karen Pardue and Shelley Cohen Konrad offered an oral presentation titled, “Transforming Hearts & Minds in Interprofessional Education: Narrative Learning & Readers Theater.” Dan MicKool, M.S., R.Ph., director of Continuing Education in the College of Pharmacy conducted an interactive poster session describing outcomes from an interprofessional clinical clerkship with MaineGeneral Health.

Barbara Brandt, director of the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education, acknowledged UNE’s commitment to creative pedagogy, especially its focus on engaging patients and stakeholders in developing educational programming.

To learn more about the University of New England’s Interprofessional Education Collaborative visit www.une.edu/wchp/ipec

To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions

Samantha Shepard and Morgan Mitchell present to an international audience
Samantha Shepard and Morgan Mitchell present to an international audience

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.