CIPECP Interprofessional Scholars Program Announces Inaugural Scholar
Chrissie Alving-Trinh, Class of 2022, has achieved LSU Health New Orleans's first Interprofessional Scholar designation.
The Interprofessional Scholars Program is an initiative developed by LSU Health's Center for Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice (CIPECP).
The program was created by students with guidance from center faculty for students who wanted to take a deeper dive into interprofessional opportunities beyond the current TeamUp™ curriculum.
Tina Patel Gunaldo, PhD, DPT, MHS is the director of the center.
Gunaldo said the program is rigorous and all activity considered for the designation must fall outside of the mandated curriculum.
“The purpose of the Interprofessional Scholars Program is to broaden the pre-health professional's interprofessional lens in at least three practice areas, including education, scholarship, leadership and/or practice,” Gunaldo said. “Interprofessional Scholars are our future champions of interprofessional collaborative practice focused on improving patient and population outcomes.”
Alving-Trinh impressed CIPECP faculty and staff members with her meaningful reflection on her experiences and ability to connect and build on those experiences over the past three years.
Alving-Trinh said her interest in interprofessional healthcare came naturally to her. “I have always enjoyed being part of a team, playing water polo through college,” she said. “I was excited to be part of the TeamUp™ committee and have the opportunity to work on the curriculum.”
“I have always appreciated the diversity of ideas on various teams. I appreciate how teams work collaboratively to incorporate different perspectives and ultimately come up with an improved concept,” she added.
Alving-Trinh said the interprofessional experiences have given her the tools she needs to understand different healthcare professionals' training, perspectives, viewpoints, and goals.
“The healthcare team's goal is to help the patient. But helping the patient means something different to me, as a surgeon, than it does to the occupational therapist or to the dentist or to other members of the patient care team. Being mindful of how we frame our individual goals, present pertinent information, and communicate with the other members of the team will help the patient care team deliver the best care possible,” she said.
Gunaldo said the designation was the ideal cap of Alving-Trinh's journey as a student. “Chrissie has a love for education and has developed an interest in team-based care. She not only appreciates a collaborative approach to care, but is able to articulate how she plans to integrate this type of engagement in her future clinical and education practice.”