Show-Me State Times

Saint Louis University (SLU) has been named the 2025 recipient of the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) Award for Institutional Excellence and Innovation in Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Health Care. This marks the first time SLU has received this recognition, which is considered the only institutional-level award for work in interprofessional education (IPE) and collaborative practice.

“We feel that Interprofessional Collaboration is not just an activity, program, or a cluster of courses at SLU, but rather it is a value that describes our work and engagement with each other, our students, our communities, and the world,” said Anthony Breitbach, Ph.D., Director of Interprofessional Education. “It is an honor to be recognized for the work we do together.”

The university will accept the award in October at the 2025 ASAHP annual conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Support for IPE at SLU began in 2006 with funding for the Center for Interprofessional Education and Research. In March 2023, Provost Michael Lewis, Ph.D., initiated a task force to reimagine IPE at the institution. The resulting plan involved moving oversight from the School of Medicine to Academic Affairs and establishing a new structure involving broad stakeholder participation.

The updated IPE Program started on July 1, 2024.

“This change increased campus visibility and institutional support,” said Associate Provost Lisa Dorsey, Ph.D. “We created a sustainable teaching model, and we developed a core IPE faculty team where teaching in the IPE Program is integrated into the disciplinary faculty workload. This model allows for a consistent core IPE faculty team to collaborate, assess, and review curriculum over time and across student cohorts.”

According to Breitbach, IPE forms part of most health-related academic programs’ accreditation standards at SLU. Current courses are designed to meet these requirements as well as align with six attributes of the University Core.

Courses are offered each semester on SLU’s St. Louis campus with annual enrollment exceeding 900 students. An additional course is available on SLU’s Madrid campus.

“SLU is committed to Global Engagement. By working with international colleagues and providing courses in St. Louis and Madrid, we work toward that objective,” Breitbach said.

Students may also pursue a Minor in Interprofessional Practice by completing three concentration courses along with three additional classes covering ethics, research, and clinical immersion.

These offerings are open to all SLU students. The minor is included within degree programs such as Traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing (TBSN), Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science (Exercise and Wellness), accelerated Master of Athletic Training, and Doctor of Physical Therapy programs. The concentration forms part of the Bachelor of Science in Occupational Science within the accelerated Master of Occupational Therapy program.