Interprofessional Education (IPE) Week kicks off Monday, celebrating healthcare professionals and promoting a collaborative approach to patient-centered care. 

The celebration runs until Thursday and will host in-person and virtual training workshops and award ceremonies for students and faculty on WVU’s Health Sciences Campus. 

Students and faculty are recognized throughout April, the National Academies of Practice’s National Interprofessional Health Care Month, holding week-long IPE activities, according to Gina Baugh, director of IPE at WVU Health Sciences.  

“It is one week where we celebrate the fact that we have our students, as learners, understand the importance of health care about, from and with one another, hopefully leading to interprofessional collaboration and ultimately for them to be able to provide the best possible care for patients,” Baugh said.

Events throughout the week include a panel discussion about “HIV Care and Education” and a craft session that promotes self-health and managing stress, according to IPE’s website. 

A ceremony will be held virtually on Monday to honor the academic and healthcare-related achievements of the campus’s students and employees. Those interested in attending can register here. 

WVU celebrated IPE Week for the first time in 2018, according to Baugh,  starting the annual tradition in hopes of celebrating the medical roles of students, faculty and staff. 

“We decided we wanted to have a week where we could focus on the fact that we are so fortunate to have all of our students learning in such a comprehensive health sciences center. That’s where the idea to celebrate came from, to recognize the great fortune of having so many different health professional programs and the opportunity to learn from one another,” Baugh said. 

IPE week also allows students to understand and learn  skills that can be used outside of the classroom, like collaborating with healthcare professionals 

“It's so easy to just go through school in your own professional silo and you learn what you need to do for the patient, but it's so important to understand all the parts of the care team,” Baugh said. 

All other events throughout the week do not require registration and a full schedule can be found on the IPE website.