The intersection of Interprofessional Education and One Health: A qualitative study in human and veterinary medical institutions
Claire Tucker,
Jake Keyel,
Amy Blue,
Ruthanne Chun,
Amara Estrada,
Hossein Khalili,
Anuja Riles,
Rohini Roopnarine,
Brian Sick,
Sue VandeWoude,
Brittany Watson,
Lauren Wisnieski,
Tracy Webb
Affiliations
Claire Tucker
One Health Institute, Colorado State University, 2016 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523-2016, United States of America; Corresponding author.
Jake Keyel
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, NJ 08028, United States of America
Amy Blue
Office of Interprofessional Education, University of Florida, 1225 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL 32610, United States of America
Ruthanne Chun
School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 205 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, United States of America
Amara Estrada
College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, PO Box 100116, Gainesville, FL 32610, United States of America
Hossein Khalili
School of Health Sciences, Winston-Salem State University, 601 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27110, United States of America
Anuja Riles
Univerity of Colorado School of Medicine, Fort Collins Branch Campus, 13001 East 17th Place, Campus Box C290, Aurora, CO 80045, United States of America
Rohini Roopnarine
School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, University Centre, West Indies, Grenada
Brian Sick
Medical School, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States of America
Sue VandeWoude
College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, 1601 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1601, United States of America
Brittany Watson
School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3800 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States of America
Lauren Wisnieski
College of Veterinary Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University, 6965 Cumberland Gap Parkway, Harrogate, TN 37752, United States of America
Tracy Webb
College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, 1601 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1601, United States of America
Interprofessional Education (IPE) and One Health are two common and overlapping frameworks for teaching collaborative practice. IPE is common at human medical institutions, while One Health is more common in graduate and veterinary programs. The connection between IPE and One Health is still being explored both in scholarship and in real-world professional settings. This prospective, qualitative research study examines the intersection of IPE and One Health at institutions that are members of the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) One Health Alliance (COHA). COHA consists of veterinary schools partnered with medical institutions through the National Institutes of Health CTSA funding mechanism with the specific goal of advancing the understanding of diseases shared by humans and animals. Twenty-four interviews were conducted with professionals across eight professions. Subjects noted that some of the biggest barriers to IPE education were awareness, accessibility, efficacy, and implementation beyond the classroom. Competency across multiple institutions and a consistent, validated evaluation tool were noted to be lacking. Interviews highlighted a lack of a shared mental model for IPE and One Health across the medical professions, major hurdles for implementation in professional curricula, and a disconnection between bridging IPE and One Health to the workforce and global challenges. Future work in this area may be focused on assessing the IPE and One Health offerings beyond COHA institutions, giving a more holistic understanding on how IPE and One Health are being deployed. One Health can be operationalized through the adoption of IPE principles and practices into curriculum. This research is critical to educate others on current applications, role, and definitions of One Health and IPE. The ultimate goal of this work is to help cultivate transdisciplinary leaders in the human and animal medicine who will have the skills to solve systemic problems.
