Living in the Nexus: Lessons Learned from the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education
In 2012, the United States Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) selected the University of Minnesota to create the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education (National Center). The National Center was funded by a unique public-private partnership including HRSA, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation, John A. Hartford Foundation and the University of Minnesota, with a mission to serve as a resource for unbiased, expert guidance on issues related to interprofessional practice and education (IPE) for the US. In this Special Issue, we discuss the operationalization of the National Center, including the funders’ expectations, the evolution of the Nexus vision bringing practice and education together simultaneously for improved outcomes, and key milestones. We synthesize a decade of work, through deep engagement within and beyond the US, as exemplified by the 13 papers from our partners in the issue. A new approach, knowledge-based IPE leadership, has emerged. We propose incorporating emerging data science and developmental evaluation methods into a new model that centers meaningful impact simultaneously on learning and health outcomes. As a result, we gained comfort in asking uncomfortable questions about the many challenges in our healthcare and education system, and where higher education, the health workforce, and especially interprofessional practice and education needs to head. This issue was conceived by Scott Reeves, It would not have been possible without the National Center’s many collaborators and contributors, and would not have come to fruition without the encouragement and support of our mentor, Madeline Schmitt. Our goal for this Special Issue is that our lessons learned will inspire new thinking and energy that addresses today's challenges and provides new opportunities to drive health and learning outcomes that matter.