School of Health Professions Students Collaborate and Learn at IPE Day

Stony Brook University's School of Health Professions hosted an interprofessional education event on April 10 that provided students with an afternoon of hands-on collaboration across the Health Sciences Center.

IPE Day saw 274 students from the School of Health Professions participate in teams, competing in everything from cane relay races to precision test-tube sorting.

"Events like IPE Day embody the heart of the School of Health Professions: a shared commitment to learning, collaboration, and excellence in care," said School of Health Professions Dean Stacy Jaffee Gropack. "By bringing students and faculty together across disciplines, these experiences affirm the IPEC competencies - values and ethics that center on respect and equity, clarity of roles and responsibilities, open and effective communication, and the power of teamwork. Working side by side to solve problems, students learn that health care is never delivered in isolation but through collective purpose, mutual trust, and the belief that we are stronger - and that our patients and communities are better served - when we work as one and respect each other's roles."

The Winter Olympics-themed event began at the Medical and Research Translation (MART) building with an inspiring talk from Kristie Golden, assistant vice president of operations for neurosciences at Stony Brook University Hospital. Her insights into healthcare leadership and behavioral health integration set the perfect tone for the day.

"I was honored to be asked to present at the IPE Day for the graduate students in the School of Health Professions," Golden said. "Each student represents the future of healthcare and brings skills, knowledge, cultural background, and enthusiasm to the workforce. Being given the opportunity to motivate them to bring their unique selves to the jobs they are pursing, is humbling for me, especially believing they will all do great things."

Kathleen McGoldrick, vice chair, clinical associate professor and director of IPE in the Department of Health Science said the students "came together not only to compete for the gold medal, but to understand one another's roles within the healthcare team. By teaching their peers, practicing together and engaging in team competitions they experienced firsthand that effective delivery of healthcare depends on understanding each other's roles and responsibilities, practicing with cultural humility and communicating as a team. These events provide a fun way to prepare students to excel in their future roles as members of a healthcare team."