A.T. Still University awarded $1.7 million grant to boost interprofessional education
Posted: July 6, 2015A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH) announced today that it is the recipient of a $1.7 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to strengthen interprofessional education among dental, medical, and physician assistant students.
The grant will support significant expansion of interprofessional education at ATSU. In which specifically, dental students will engage collaboratively in clinical settings with medical students from ATSU’s School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona and physician assistant students from ATSU’s Arizona School of Health Sciences.
“This funding will greatly enrich interprofessional education at ATSU,” said Jack Dillenberg, DDS, MPH, dean, ATSU-ASDOH, grant project director . “Funding will support development of clinical curricula and experiences, bringing together three health professions to fully realize Dr. Andrew Taylor Still’s vision of whole person healthcare.”
Interprofessional education has remained a main focus area at ATSU and is an essential step in preparing collaborative, practice-ready health professionals. Over the course of five years, nearly 8,500 vulnerable and underserved patients will be served by 1,950 students and faculty through the enhanced workforce training initiative supported by the HRSA grant, “Expanding Dental Workforce Training Within Collaborative, Team-Based Care Targeting Federally Qualified Health Centers and Underserved Populations.”
“The future success of healthcare delivery worldwide will be built on a foundation of team-based, collaborative care centered around patients and communities. This grant will make a significant difference in how health professions students are educated,” said ATSU President Craig M. Phelps, DO, ’84.
ATSU-ASDOH’s short-term goals include integrating a diverse group of non-dental partner agencies like the Greater Valley Area Health Education Center to facilitate both didactic and clinical team-based care. The school also plans to expand collaboration to HealthPoint – a University community health center partner campus located in the Seattle area. There, fourth-year dental students and second-, third- and fourth-year medical students will learn from and work with each other to improve the delivery of patient care.
“This grant will create potent opportunities for ATSU students to work together collaboratively in the reality of clinical practice, to learn about, from, and with each other,” said Director of Interprofessional Education and Collaboration Barbara Maxwell, PT, DPT, MSc, Cert. THE, FNAP. “Healthcare delivered by these interprofessional teams will improve the lives of those they serve.”
Acknowledgement and Disclaimer: This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number D85HP20045; grant title Predoctoral Training in General, Pediatric, and Public Health Dentistry and Dental Hygiene; total award amount of $1,736,074; with 54 percent financed with nongovernmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.