Dr. Fotinos S. Panagakos, Dr. Angela Stewart, and Ms. Jennifer Garehime have been awarded a multiyear grant from the CareQuest Foundation for their project at the Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU) School of Dental Medicine (SDM) in collaboration with the Northwest Interprofessional Health Collaborative (NIHC).
This significant grant from the CareQuest Foundation will support developing and implementing an interprofessional practice & education (IPE) program aimed at enhancing dental education and integrated healthcare delivery in rural and underserved communities throughout the Pacific Northwest.
With the grant, the SDM and NIHC will implement a multi-year IPE program with several critical components:
- Assessment and Integration
- Evaluating academic and clinical partner readiness for interprofessional education and identifying opportunities to enhance care integration through unique educational strategies tailored to community needs.
- Faculty Development
- Establishing comprehensive onboarding and ongoing training programs for faculty to ensure effective delivery of IPE.
- Curriculum Development
- Creating integrated curriculum sessions that include IPE elements and implementing weekly interdisciplinary grand rounds sessions.
- Outcome Measurement
- Developing appropriate measures to evaluate the success of each program component and contributing data to the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education’s Nexus Innovation Network.
The project began in March 2024 and will run until December 2029.
Year one of the grant will focus on program readiness and curriculum planning, with whole implementation beginning in year three. The program aims to produce graduates with the skills necessary for interprofessional collaborative practice, enhancing healthcare delivery in underserved areas. This project promises to significantly improve access to quality healthcare in the Pacific Northwest’s rural and underserved communities by fostering interprofessional collaboration and integrating dental care into broader healthcare delivery systems.
The PNWU SDM is committed to educating and training healthcare professionals prepared to serve in rural and medically underserved areas. The Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) program is designed to integrate comprehensive dental care training with primary care practices related to oral and systemic health. The program emphasizes access, equity, academic success, community service, and collaboration.
Key aspects of the DMD program include:
- A four-year curriculum emphasizing problem-based learning, interprofessional activities, and multicultural awareness.
- Hands-on patient care starting in the second year at Federally Qualified Health Clinics (FQHCs) in collaboration with Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, Yakima Neighborhood Health Services, and Sea Mar Community Health Services
- The integration of simulation technology and teledentistry to enhance clinical training.
The NIHC, established initially as the Yakima Valley Interprofessional Practice & Education Collaborative, promotes interprofessional education, faculty development, and community engagement to advance team-based care. It brings together students and faculty from multiple health professions to foster collaborative practice to improve health outcomes. The NIHC’s curriculum aligns with the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) core competencies, focusing on values and ethics, roles and responsibilities, interprofessional communication, and teams and teamwork.