Based on the growing importance of community engagement and the recognition of its importance by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the committee offers several examples of community engagement activities for consideration and replication by our academy and beyond. These activities, including those of winning institutions of the Lawrence J. Weaver Transformational Community Engagement Award, can be mapped to the core components of community engagement presented in Table 1. The committee, using an implementation readiness framework, provides the reader with insight into the challenges that may impact successful community engagement and encourages our academy to continue its work to support faculty capacity in this area. Toward that end, the committee offers a policy statement that encourages schools and colleges of pharmacy to have an office or designate a faculty member whose focus is specifically on community engagement. The committee also offers a recommendation that the core components be included in the criteria for the Weaver Award.

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Introduction: Interprofessional education (IPE) provides an opportunity for students from single-professions to interact with other disciplines. Student attitude to IPE can impact engagement and change in attitude may provide an indicator of the impact of IPE. This study examines pre-workshop attitudes to IPE and change in attitude following a series of three IPE workshops. Methods: Preworkshop attitudes were examined using the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) and the Interprofessional Education Perception Scale (IEPS). The IEPS was repeated at the start of Workshop 1 and at the end of Workshop 3. Data were analyzed using linear regression analysis and linear mixed methods for repeated measures. Results: 405 students participated (pre-workshop n=122; workshop 1 n=244; workshop 3 n=236). Pre-workshop attitudinal scores were high. While male gender and studying medicine negatively predicted attitude across some domains, previous experience of a joint patient treatment session on clinical placement positively predicted attitude in the domain of Perception of Actual Cooperation (standardised Beta 0.283, p=0.005). Attitude to IPE improved across all domains of the IEPS from online preparation to the end of workshop 3 (pCompetency and Autonomy, and in the domain of Perceived Need for Cooperation improved only following online preparation, while the domain of Perception of Actual Cooperation improved following both online preparation and participation in the workshops. Discussion: The results presented reflect positively on student readiness for IPE. Attitudes were further improved following engagement in a structured series of IPE workshops.

Interprofessional education (IPE) is, in some cases, a genuine effort to improve health professions training programs and in others, a "box that must be checked" for program accreditation. The types of training and trainees involved in IPE initiatives are wide-ranging, and efforts to articulate measurable competencies for different developmental levels and disciplines are in their infancy. Still, leaders in IPE have indicated that just as the evolving healthcare system is putting new training demands on academic health centers/health professionals training programs to teach team care, strong IPE programs can fuel and empower the health care industry. In this session, a panel of IPE leaders from a range of professional backgrounds (nursing, pharmacy, medicine, psychology) answer essential questions about the evolution and trajectory of IPE as a catalyst for improved health care. Describe the current tensions in the academic environment around IPE programming. Identify crucial "next steps" for IPE programs in better fitting with health care evolution. Discuss how IPE could, if empowered to do so, fuel an even stronger team care capacity within health care.

Discussion surrounding interprofessional education (IPE) among graduate and professional health sciences students is beginning to appear more frequently in academic journals, government reports, and health care reform recommendations. Recommendations from an international conference cited in the Lancet provide an interesting overview from world leaders about interprofessional care and its ability to improve health system performance. Since 1995, the Academic Health Sciences Center (AHSC) at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) has shown the value of IPE and continues to do so through the Interprofessional Education Program (IPEP). In this study, a focus group was conducted in fall 2014 to collect qualitative data on AHSC students’ perceptions of IPE and interprofessional training at ETSU. Two out of five AHSC colleges were represented by a total of four focus group participants. These participants included students from the Colleges of Public Health and Medicine, as well as a student from the Department of Psychology and one medical resident. Through use of a semi-structured interview procedure, a skilled facilitator asked participants to describe their academic experiences related to IPE at ETSU. A series of open-ended questions were presented in order to determine the general perceptions, attitudes, barriers, and beliefs of health science students regarding interprofessional experiences. The focus group was audio- and video- recorded, and the recordings were transcribed by the author. Four study staff members met and conducted separate thematic analyses to determine consensus on overarching themes from transcriptions. Themes identified through these analyses included: 1) specific emphasis on the importance of communication; 2) respect for the academic rigor of other health profession programs; 3) the desire for more IPE opportunities; and 4) having a positive and open mind was a characteristic considered impactful interprofessional education. The implications of these findings and considerations for methodological improvements will be discussed.

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