Slide 1

The UTMB Global Health Inter-Professional Core

Course: Successes, Works in Progress, and Open Questions

Lexi Nolen, PhD, MPH and Caley Satterfield, MEd

Laura Rudkin, PhD; Liz Reifsnider, PhD, RN; Carolyn Utsey PhD, PT; Gretchen Stone, PhD, OTR;

Vicki Freeman, PhD, LeeAnn Bryant, MHSJanice Smith, MD, MPH

Objectives

Describe the context of UTMB in relation to IEGH

Present the process for creating the course

Outline some challenges Describe future directions Identify some key unanswered

questions

Definitions

Inter-professional (IP) “When two or more professions learn with,

from, and about one another” Inter-disciplinary

“collaboration within a single profession, e.g. among pediatricians, pediatric cardiologists and pediatric surgeions in the care of children with congenital heart defects”

Multidisciplinary “other disciplines are invited to participate in

an independent, discipline-specific team that conducts separate assessment, planning, and provision of services with little coordination”

The UTMB context Health Professions

campus SOM (1st and 2nd yr

students) GSBS

*basic science and clinical science research students

public health students--not primary degree

SON *Undergraduate graduate

SHP Occupational Therapy Physical Therapy Clinical Lab Sciences *Physicians’ Assistant *Respiratory Therapy

Growing GH Program Fogarty Grant Significant $ for students Growing decentralization Increasing coordination Various opportunities

Field site experiences Monthly potlucks Lecture series Global Grand Rounds

Major hurricane Departure of key faculty Funding disruptions Planning disruptions

synergy and GHICCSteering Committee rep.

synergy support Financial: tuition

support for students (3 years)

Curricular: IP activity development, faculty development

Educational research: evaluation of educational experience, tracking

Benefits to synergy Popular class with high

and mixed participation Early IP experience for

students Evaluation information

We used synergy’s momentum to support our GH goals

synergy Program Participation

Highlights of the GH Program at UTMB

Global Health Track for medical students (2005)HABLE (2005), Spanish SOM curriculum to support training of bilingual providersGlobal Grand RoundsGH lecture seriesInternational field site electivesStructured, inter-professional domestic field sites in Galveston and in 4 Texas colonias Active global health student interest group (chapters across the state)Monthly potlucksFogarty International Research Fellowships, SOM ScholarshipsUT System Global Health Resource Center (2008- )Global Health Interprofessional Core Course (2009- )

Coming yearInternational Research Ethics Area of Concentration within the Master of Arts Program in Medical HumanitiesGlobal Health Concentration within the Master of Public Health (MPH)Certificates in GH in several programs (OT, PT, CLS)Mentoring ProgramRegional GHEC conference

Creation of GHICC

Began last spring Inter-professional faculty (self-identified

but broad) Curriculum and Syllabus developed

quickly Goals for the course Mapping of gh core competencies among

programs, or program competencies when gh not available

Agreement on public health and systems focus

Complement to existing GH activities Distance learning, repository

GHICC curricular structure

Wed 5-6:30, Sept-April 16 Large group Inter-professional classes 16 Small group professional classes (PT, OT,

CLS, MPH)

Large Group Meeting Topics Overview of Global Health and

Introduction to Course The Global Crisis in Human

Resources for Health; Healthcare Teams in different Global Settings

Healthcare Systems Introduction to Public Health and

Epidemiology Health Equity and Social

Determinants of Health Global Health Organizations; The

Role of Civil Society and Universities in Global Health

Achieving the Millennium Development Goals

Human Rights and Social Justice; Ethical Issues in Global Health

Culturally Appropriate Healthcare; Health Promotion and Behavior Change

Women’s Health; Child Health Nutrition and Malnutrition Travel Safety and Health Global Infectious Disease Health Impacts of Disasters Occupational and other Injuries in

Developing Countries Appropriate technology in low

resource settings Oral health in low income

countries

Distance Learning

Tegrity Records video, audio

along with PowerPoint presentation

BlackBoard Upload resources such

as web links, readings, etc

Travel Safety lecture made available to all UT System campuses

Administrative ChallengesThe Usual Suspects…Schedules between schools, Curricular time, Credits and uniformity, Academic policies*Faculty time/compensation(resistance by administration)

…plus some moreSustainable interprofessional enrollmentFaculty development—dual skills in gh and interprofessional education

Curricular ChallengesMore suspects…*Learning modalities (PBL, sm groups, com based, etc)*Use of language (e.g. med students vs health professions students)*Breadth v. depth*Variations in students’ educational level

…more moreGlobal health and IP goals double the work!Developing or finding good IP/GH interactive activities

The problems of serving two masters

Student Comments after 1st Semester

Lots of positive Content—liked the gh competencies (unexpected

for some) Structure Group activities Info on careers, online resources and databases,

etc Liked having an IP faculty, esp when they worked

together Class on IP teams was the favorite

A few negative More “field” talk, clinical skills building; didn’t get

the gh competencies More small group activities; fewer small group

activities

Future Directions (administrative)Review of scheduling (student obligations)Improvement in physical educational environment Global Health Tracks/Certificates in the Health Professions programsIntegration of SON, PA students *Secured faculty time/incentives*Faculty developmentPotential elective credit for SOM students

Proposed SOM Elective

*16 bi-weekly 90-minute inter-professional lecture/discussion sessions

16 bi-weekly 60-minute medical student discussions *Completion of the Welcome Trust Topics in Global

Health learning modules on CD *Participate in the global health mentoring program Service learning experience: 2+ days Development of class presentations, group projects,

short research project End of semester quiz and student evaluation by

faculty Could complete over 2 years (?)

Future Directions (curricular)

Clear introduction (emerging gh curriculum; not skills building, “field” talk; other opportunities on campus; career development)

Less lecture, more group and IP activities Further development of online course

delivery (req.) Linked to service-learning experiences Mainstreaming GH into schools’ curricula Developing further opportunities to

increase depth of knowledge in gh competency areas

Open questions….

Sustaining broad student participation (tuition, distance education)

Inter-professional quality w/ increased distance education

Role of each faculty in the course

Your experiences? Other helpful literature? Examples of inter-professional, global

health class activities? Should we be working and thinking

together on a regular basis?

References

1. G Goelen, G de Clercq, L Huyghens, and E Kerckhofs. (2006). Measuring the effect of interprofessional problem-based learning on the attitudes of undergraduate health care students, Medical Education, 40, 555-561.

2. K McPherson, L Headrick, and F Moss. (2001). Working and learning togther: good quality care depnds on it, but how can we achieve it, Quality in Health Care, 10(Supp. II), ii46-ii53.

3. JA Dyer. (2003). Multidisciplinary, Interdisciplinary, and Transdisciplinary Educational Models and Nursing Education, Nursing Education Perspectives, 24(4), 186-188.

4. F Carpenter. (1995). Interprofessional education for medical and nursing students: Evaluation of a programme, Medical Education, 29, 265-272.