GRANT00051

Support to Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (TUSDM) to take the lead in advancing Interprofessional Education (IPE) for healthcare at Tufts. In partnership with Tufts Medical School and Tufts Medical Center, TUSDM will explore various models for an IPE program and through a thorough and candid evaluation of the outcomes, recommend guidelines, and standards for dissemination to other institutions of education. Tufts University has a unique and long-standing experience in educating holistic caregivers in multi-disciplinary teams. With an entirely new approach to health education, dentists, physicians, nurse practitioners, dental therapists, nutritionists, pharmacists, and others can learn together how to function as interprofessional healthcare teams. Funding will support the Director of Interprofessional Education who will build off of dental school curriculum revisions already underway, and leverage resources of the National Interprofessional Initiative on Oral Health, to create training collaboratives between dental and medical students, and to integrate the concept of healthcare education – teaching dentists, physicians, therapist, social workers, and others to work naturally and seamlessly together—for the overall health and well-being of the patient.