Leveraging a faculty fellowship programme to develop leaders in interprofessional education

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Interprofessional Education (IPE)

Background:

• Academic institutions seek to develop leaders in interprofessional education (IPE).
• Faculty development programs are a key strategy for building institutional capacity in IPE.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the outcomes of a longitudinal interprofessional education (IPE) faculty fellowship program.
• To assess the program's effectiveness in developing IPE leaders and advancing institutional IPE initiatives.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal faculty fellowship program with an IPE track was implemented.
• A survey using adapted Kirkpatrick's model was administered to IPE fellows one year post-graduation.
• Open-ended questions assessed program outcomes related to teaching, leadership, and scholarship.

Main Results:

• Fellows reported high value for the longitudinal learning experience, skill development in teaching and leadership, and conducting education scholarship.
• Participants highlighted the benefits of interprofessional learning, fostering enduring professional relationships.
• The fellowship successfully enhanced faculty capacity for IPE leadership.

Conclusions:

• Integrating interprofessional education (IPE) activities into existing faculty fellowships is an effective strategy.
• This approach builds faculty capacity to lead and advance interprofessional education initiatives within academic institutions.