Greetings! 

As we move into August, we are thrilled to share the many exciting achievements and milestones from across our interprofessional education and practice community. The Fall 2026 IPEP Core curriculum activity registrations are now OPEN in Ideal Logic from our website: www.utmb.edu/ipep. We look forward to everyone from the five schools and the community in attendance!  

First and foremost, we would like to celebrate our Interprofessional Education & Practice (IPEP) Scholars! Congratulations to our Spring and Summer 2026 IPEP Scholars graduates! It was wonderful to see them wearing their Scholars medallions with pride at graduation, a well-deserved honor reflecting their dedication to interprofessional excellence. 

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Barbara Maxwell, DPT, PhD, Associate Dean and Director of the IU Interprofessional Practice and Education Center at Indiana University School of Medicine, for delivering an insightful keynote address and leading an engaging interactive workshop on community engagement at our Annual IPEP Faculty and Staff Retreat on July 23, 2026. Among the attendees, we were honored to have Dr. Susan Chubinskaya, Senior VP, Provost, and Chief Academic Officer, along with our HEC Liaisons and IPE Advisory Council members for meaningful conversations about the future of IPE. 

Highlights & Accomplishments 

• Inaugural Simulation-Based Education Summit – A huge congratulations to Dr. Kelly Grace, PhD, Assistant Director of Departmental Research at the Health Education Center, for organizing a truly impactful summit featuring national and global experts. Her expertise in clinical translational science and evaluation continues to elevate our IPEP Core curriculum! 
• Building Trust with Psychological Safety Among IPE Teams – Thank you to Dr. Sara Dann-Grice for leading another successful pilot activity, with outstanding leadership from IPEP Scholars Ella Stockton (SHP – Doctor of Occupational Therapy program) and Olayinka Olajubutu (JSSOM – Physician Assistant Studies program). 
• IPE Student Mock Codes – A big thank you to the HEC Office of Life Support and Education and Training Team—Annette Smith, George Laiacona, and Jaclyn Jones—for facilitating an excellent session with 11 medical residents and 4 nursing students engaging in interactive team discussions on patient safety. 

I am excited to announced we have two abstracts accepted at the Annual 2026 NEXUS Summit this September on migraines and cluster headaches with Dr. Vera Gibb and myself presenting and on IPE Social Networking Analysis project with Dr. Kelly Grace and Zoeieann Townsend presenting!

Thank you to everyone who continues to support OIPEP as we foster an IPEP Culture at UTMB, one that improves communicating, teamwork, and health outcomes across all healthcare settings.  

Warmest regards,

Ashley Parikh, EdD, MSHS, PTA, PNAP

Director, Interprofessional Education & Practice

Quality Enhancement Plan