What is Interprofessional Education (IPE)?
Interprofessional education (IPE) occurs when two or more professions learn about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes (World Health Organisation 2010).
IPE is increasingly recognised as a core component of health professional education and training, helping to ensure a collaborative practice ready workforce that can work effectively in multi-professional teams to deliver high quality patient care.
Our Purpose
High quality IPE is challenging to develop and maintain, particularly for large and diverse student cohorts. We are a community of practice that fosters the development of IPE expertise through:
o Sharing good practice in IPE development and delivery
o Role modelling collaborative working via joint projects, resource development and research.
o Enabling student networks that develop new generations of leaders in the field of IPE and collaborative practice.
IPE Student Challenge
This is an annual online simulation challenge organised by the U21 HSG Interprofessional Education Special Interest Group. The inaugural challenge was held in 2021. Students from across the U21 HSG network can apply to join. Successful applicants are grouped into small teams of 6 - 7 individuals. Each group comprises of students representing different institutions and disciplines.
The objective of the Student Challenge is for groups to conduct research and provide recommendations to a health-care related problem, in a simulation exercise format. Student groups need to capture their group output into a short video. Groups have a few weeks to work together. In this way, students not only interact and meet peers from around the world, but also learn to work across timezones and have the opportunity to understand health systems in different contexts.
Stay tuned for the 2026 Student Challenge!
Resources Notes, “Implications of Climate Change on Health Interdisciplinary Perspectives”
The U21 HSG Interprofessional Education Group has developed Resources Notes, “Implications of Climate Change on Health Interdisciplinary Perspectives” as an aid for academic staff seeking to develop a greater focus on climate change in their education leveraging interprofessional education opportunities. These Resource Notes were generated by their team utilizing resources arising from a 3 part international seminar series focusing on how academics could engage in IPE education on climate change, as well as utilizing resources and considerations emerging from the 2023 International Student Challenge on climate change and health impacts.
Global interprofessional education: An international healthcare student challenge
The U21 HSG Interprofessional Education Group has been hosting an annual International Student Challenge since 2021. After the experiences of 2022, the team shared their key learnings via an article on Medical Education.
U21 HSG IPE Group Activities:
Want to be involved?
If you are currently from a U21 HSG member institution working in IPE, have an interest in learning more and would like to be added to the IPE Special Interest Group mailing list for details of events and activities then please contact:
Alicia Lui, U21 HSG Operations Manager
✉: u21health@gmail.com
For reference: World Health Organization. (2010). Framework for action on interprofessional education and collaborative practice (No. WHO/HRH/HPN/10.3). Geneva: World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.who.int/hrh/resources/framework_action/en/