IPE Scholars Program

The IPE Scholars Program will provide participants with an opportunity to:

• develop a project in an interprofessional education area of interest;
• contribute to a collaborative educational (IPE) scholarship agenda;
• network with others engaged in the development, delivery, and evaluation of IPE; and
• disseminate findings and share best practices to support IPE.

During course of their two-year tenure as an IPE Scholar, participants will:

1. attend an inaugural event to welcome them into the program;
2. take responsibility for one scholarship event; scholars will present their IPE initiative or use a scholarly article related to IPE as a mechanism to stimulate dialogue;
3. produce a scholarly output (e.g. new interprofessional initiative, program evaluation, publication); and
4. submit a report at the end of their term as an IPE scholar, reflecting on their participation in the program and providing an overview of their scholarly output (a two--page template will be provided).

The IPE Scholars Program offers funding of up to $5,000 to support the development and dissemination of participants’ IPE scholarship and provides opportunities to engage with a network of IPE Scholars to share their ideas and inform a broader research agenda for innovative, interprofessional activities that have the potential to advance progress in health professional education. Funding can be used to cover things such as the cost of research assistants, publication fees, and research participant honoraria. Applicants will be asked to propose a budget as part of their application to the program. UBC Health will review the budget and determine what is appropriate and feasible to be covered by program funds.

Faculty members from any health discipline who are passionate about interprofessional education and who contribute to the development, delivery, and evaluation of interprofessional learning as a core part of their educational scholarship are invited to apply for the IPE Scholars program.

The IPE Scholars program is designed for UBC faculty in the educational leadership stream. Other UBC faculty/department positions that support and implement IPE curricula may also be well suited for this program, and UBC Health encourages conversations with the program team to determine eligibility. Multiple individuals from the same faculty or department are welcome to apply together and work as a team.

Applications that meet the above minimum requirements will be evaluated as they come in based on the following differentiating criteria:

• interest and passion for IPE teaching, leadership, and/or scholarship;
• leadership in advancing innovation and excellence in IPE;
• making an innovative contribution to IPE curriculum development, curriculum renewal, course design, pedagogical innovation, or other initiatives;
• contributing to innovations in IPE that reach beyond their own students; and
• demonstrating a commitment to the scholarship of IPE teaching and learning.

The UBC Health Senior Leadership Team will recommend proposal selection and prioritization to the Associate Vice-President, Health, who will review the recommendations and make final decisions.

What is the program timeline? 

Are there a specific number of proposals that will be accepted into the program each year?
Up to eight IPE Scholars will be accepted in the first year, with additional scholars accepted each year thereafter, which allows for overlap between existing and new participants.

What are some types of expenses that the funding can cover? 
Funding can be used to cover the cost of research assistants, publication fees, and research participant honoraria.

Can this funding be used in conjunction with other funding?
Yes.

What are the reporting requirements?
By the end of participants’ two-year tenure as an IPE Scholar, a summary of the scholarly output resulting from participation in the program must be submitted to UBC Health, along with details about how the funds were used. A two-page template will be provided.

What are the expectations of program participants in the delivery of the scholarship sessions?
After an inaugural welcome event, each scholar will take responsibility for one scholarship event during the course of their two-year tenure. Scholars will present their IPE initiative or use a scholarly article related to IPE as a mechanism to stimulate dialogue. The scholarship session will take the form of a community of practice delivered in partnership with UBC Health. Members of the UBC Health team will be available to assist with the overall event delivery, but all session content will be the responsibility of program participants.

Possible areas of focus for IPE Scholars (priority areas identified by UBC Health) include:

• innovative longitudinal approaches to classroom-based IPE;
• practice education initiatives that build capacity for interprofessional placement;
• patient engagement in interprofessional collaborative initiatives;
• preceptor and faculty development to support interprofessional student learning; and
• learner assessment of collaborative interprofessional competencies. 

When will the scholarship sessions be held?
Program events will run from June to April each year, with the welcome event in June and scholar-facilitated events in October, December, and the following February, April, and June. Applicants have an opportunity to give an indication of preferred timing of their session as part of the application process. The UBC Health team will work collaboratively with program participants to determine and distribute event dates throughout the year.  

Will scholarship sessions be held online only?
Sessions will be hybrid, with the in-person session taking place in the UBC Health conference room with refreshments provided by UBC Health.

When will program participants be announced? 
Program participants will be notified in June, but UBC Health will connect with participants on an ongoing basis to discuss the collaborations and potential timing of scholarship sessions.  

Whom can I contact if I have questions?
If you have any questions, or would like to discuss your proposal, please contact ubchealth.admin@ubc.ca.