October 6, 2017
“We all believe that working interprofessionally has benefits, and the IP-X Research Stimulus is designed to test this belief,” explained Jim Dalton, dean of the U-M College of Pharmacy.

This news release was originally posted on the Michigan Center for Interprofessional Education's website. 

The U-M’s Ann Arbor campus health science deans have selected four faculty team projects to receive the first-of-their-kind Interprofessional Exchange (IP-X) Research Stimulus pilot grants. The project, Caring for Complex, Underserved Patients: Interprofessional Education and Care Where it Matters Most, was awarded support in the first round of funding. Amy Thompson, PharmD, Clinical Associate Professor of Pharmacy, is collaborating on this project with PI: Brent Williams, General Medicine; Co-Investigators: Daniel Fischer and Debra Mattison, School of Social Work; and Elizabeth Kuzma, School of Nursing.

Other awarded project teams in this first round of IP-X funding are:

  • Computer-Assisted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depressed Dialysis Patients, PI: Joseph Himle, School of Social Work. Co-Investigators: Bonnie Hagerty, School of Nursing, and Jonathan Segal, Internal Medicine.
  • Improving Contraceptive Care for Women with Breast Cancer: An Interprofessional Collaborative Practice Approach, PI: Justine Wu, Family Medicine. Co-Investigators: Monika Burness, Internal Medicine; Debra Barton, School of Nursing; and Debra Mattison, School of Social Work.
  • Michigan Interprofessional Consortium for Health-Global Action Network (MICH-GAN), PI: Megan Eagle, School of Nursing. Co-Investigators: April Bigelow, Jody Lori, and Leslie Kearfott, School of Nursing; Joseph Kolars and Cheryl Moyer, Medical School/LHS; and Kathleen Lopez and Mary Ruffolo, School of Social Work.

The Interprofessional Exchange Research Stimulus grants support investigations focused on the health outcomes and value of interprofessional exchange in education, policy, research, care and service. The funding for IP-X Research Stimulus grants comes from the seven health science deans on U-M’s Ann Arbor campus (together comprising the Health Sciences Council) and the U-M Office of the Provost.

Each pilot project is funded up to $50,000, and all the teams include investigators from at least three U-M health science schools. The IP-X early implementation grant (for up to $250,000) project team awardees are scheduled to be announced in early 2018.

“We all believe that working interprofessionally has benefits, and the IP-X Research Stimulus is designed to test this belief,” explained Jim Dalton, dean of the U-M College of Pharmacy and current chair of the Health Sciences Council.

The deans of the Health Science Council created the IP-X Research Stimulus as a $1.5-million multi-year program, administered by Michigan Center for Interprofessional Education.