Dear faculty and staff:
The Office of Linking Interprofessional Networks for Collaboration (LINC), within Academic, Faculty & Student Affairs, invites applications from faculty and staff requesting financial support for pilot projects designed to advance interprofessional education (IPE) at UT Health San Antonio. Projects demonstrating potential in terms of future scalability, sustainability, and extramural support are welcomed.
Traditionally, IPE has been defined as “students from two or more professions learning about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes” (WHO, 2010). It has been recognized more recently that all individuals who impact health care delivery, from students to working professionals, benefit from interprofessional learning. Importantly, evidence is emerging that quality IPE has a positive impact on learners’ interprofessional collaborative practice competencies and clinical outcomes from improved professional practice (HPAC, 2019).
The fourth annual LINC Seed Grant Program seeks to accelerate novel IPE activities that can be embedded in formal curricula, both didactic and clinical, as well as those offered as voluntary experiences outside of formal curricula to augment students’ professional development (i.e., co-curricular IPE). Pilot projects must involve learners from at least two different UT Health San Antonio schools and be designed to develop targeted Interprofessional Education Collaborative competencies in the following areas (IPEC, 2016):
· Interprofessional Teamwork and Team-Based Practice
· Values/Ethics for Interprofessional Practice
· Roles and Responsibilities for Collaborative Practice
· Interprofessional Communication Practices
In addition to advancing a novel IPE activity, funded projects will formally investigate effectiveness through a robust assessment of desired outcomes. A well-defined plan to disseminate findings or utilize findings to strengthen applications for extramural funding is expected. Prospective applicants are encouraged to work with the LINC Office to incorporate best practices in IPE assessment and evaluation into their proposals.
Who May Apply
All UT Health San Antonio faculty and staff are eligible to apply. Applications can also include faculty and staff from non-UT Health San Antonio institutions; however, all submissions must have a faculty member from UT Health San Antonio as the Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI of the project. Submissions demonstrating interprofessional collaboration, as evidenced by two or more co-PIs from different schools, will be prioritized. Similarly, priority will be given to projects that meet established IPE needs within schools/programs.
Funding
LINC Seed Grants up to $5,000 will be awarded. The total number of awards available each year is dependent upon university funding. Funds awarded will be placed into discretionary accounts to be used only for appropriate expenses to support each grantee’s IPE project.
Letter of Intent
An electronic Letter of Intent (e-LOI) must be submitted and approved prior to completion of a formal LINC Seed Grant proposal. The e-LOI should concisely address the questions below. Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to work with members of the LINC Academic Affairs Council to review the annually approved IPE Plan(s) within their school to identify needs and/or strategic priorities.
· What types of learners will be involved in the novel IPE activity?
· What will learners do to achieve IPEC competencies?
· What makes the project novel?
· How will you measure the project’s impact?
· How does the project address strategic priorities for IPE within two or more schools?
E-LOIs must be submitted to the LINC Office on or before Jan. 10, 2022, through the e-LOI submission form. Applicants whose e-LOIs are approved will be invited to submit a full proposal by April 15, 2022. Detailed instructions regarding application submissions will be provided once the e-LOI is approved.
Questions and Consultation
Those interested in the LINC Seed Grant Program are encouraged to contact their LINC Faculty Council representative to discuss the program and address questions:
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Keith A. Krolick, Ph.D., Professor
Leader, LINC Faculty Council IPE Research & Scholarship Initiative
Long School of Medicine
Temple A. Ratcliffe, M.D., MS-HPEd, Associate Professor/Clinical
Leader, LINC Faculty Council Clinical IPE Initiative
School of Dentistry
Moshtagh R. Farokhi, D.D.S., M.P.H., Associate Professor/Clinical
Leader, LINC Faculty Council Co-Curricular IPE Initiative
School of Health Professions
Meredith Quinene, D.H.Sc., M.P.A.S., PA-C, Associate Professor
Leader, LINC Faculty Council Didactic IPE Initiative
School of Nursing
Gretchel Gealogo Brown, Ph.D., RN, Assistant Professor
Leader, LINC Faculty Council IPE Faculty & Staff Development Initiative
We are very much looking forward to working with you to advance IPE at UT Health San Antonio.
Sincerely,
Keith A. Krolick, Ph.D.
Professor, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences & Leader, IPE Research & Scholarship Initiative
Linking Interprofessional Networks for Collaboration Faculty Council
Joseph A. Zorek, Pharm.D., BCGP, FNAP
Director, Linking Interprofessional Networks for Collaboration
Office of the Vice President for Academic, Faculty & Student Affairs & Associate Professor, School of Nursing
