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.