Baugh named director of interprofessional education for health sciences

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Gina M. Baugh, Pharm.D., associate professor and director of Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences at the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy, has been named director of interprofessional education for the WVU Health Sciences Center.

As director of interprofessional education (IPE), Dr. Baugh will be responsible for the development, implementation and evaluation of all IPE programs at the Health Sciences Center. She will work closely with the academic leadership in each health sciences discipline to ensure that all program and accreditation standards are met, as well as will work collaboratively with the West Virginia Simulation Training and Education for Patient Safety (WV STEPS) Center to create and evaluate learning activities that involve students from multiple health professions.

“Health care is a team approach,” Baugh said. “We are teaching our health profession students now how they will be working with each other to help their patients in the future. I am looking forward to working with our WVU health sciences students and creating programs that will make them successful practitioners.”

Baugh is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy and worked as a clinical pharmacy specialist at UPMC Health Plan prior to joining the faculty at the WVU School of Pharmacy. She is actively involved in experiential learning at both a local and national level. She is currently serving as the chair of the Experiential Learning Committee at the WVU School of Pharmacy and as a member of the Leadership Development taskforce for the Experiential Learning Section of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). 

Baugh’s focus on interprofessional education began several years ago, and she has been part of three funded grants in the past three years. In addition to her work as a faculty facilitator for IPE programs at the Health Sciences Center, she has had significant experience with interprofessional education through her work as director of Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences.

Baugh will be replacing David Wilks, M.D., professor emeritus and former assistant dean for technology in medical education at the WVU School of Medicine and former medical director of WV STEPS Center, who is currently serving as the interim director of interprofessional education at the Health Sciences Center. Dr. Wilks’ knowledge and enthusiasm in this role have been critical in continuing the growth of interprofessional education at the HSC. Baugh’s appointment to her new position will be effective Jan. 1, 2017.