Team science in interdisciplinary health professions education research: a multi-institutional case study

The interdisciplinary nature of health professions education requires exploration of problems by interdisciplinary research teams. Drawing on the Dynamics of Cross-disciplinary Research Development conceptual framework, this study explores the processes and experiences of an interdisciplinary research team, identifying elements of successful collaboration. Case study data were collected from a team of nine researchers from six universities. Data included meeting minutes and researcher reflections. Researcher reflection and meeting minute themes converged within the framework constructs: Contexts and inputs, social learning processes, social capital outcomes, and knowledge and human capital outcomes. This study provides a blueprint for interdisciplinary researchers indicating that successful collaboration starts with transparent, distributed leadership. The convergence of data illustrates how social learning processes, social capital outcomes, and knowledge and human capital outcomes facilitate research team outcomes.