Deadline Extended - Interprofessional Innovation Grant Program

The Interprofessional Task Force (IPTF) of the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) developed the Interprofessional Innovation Grant (IIG) Program to provide support for interprofessional collaboration research among the ASAHP membership. The intent is to provide recipients a competitive edge in securing additional funding by supporting pilot projects and further developing grantsmanship skill sets. The intent of the IIG Program is that proposals submitted can be used to develop larger, more extensive interprofessional research projects that further engage faculty and ASAHP members in research endeavors. The IPTF expects to fund 3 awards up to $2,000 per award for projects between September 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023. Deadline to apply is June 10, 2022 (extended from June 1).

Learn more here.

House Education and Labor Hearing on Department of Education Policies and Priorities

The House Education and Labor Committee held a nearly four hour hearing on the “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Education with Secretary Miguel Cardona. The hearing was contentious with Chair Scott having to remind the committee that “all Members are advised to leave out questions of motive or character of other Members.”

2022 Nexus Innovation Challenge

Registration is now open for the 2022 Nexus Innovation Challenge. The Challenge is a catalyst for teams to learn and apply National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education NexusIPETM tools and resources, and the powerful methodology of Design Thinking to solve challenges and design opportunities within their clinical and educational environments. This program, created through a unique partnership between the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education, SmithGroup (nationally renowned architecture firm), and the National Collaborative for Improving the Clinical Learning Environment (NCICLE), blends key principles developed from decades of deep experience in IPE, the clinical learning environment, and Design Thinking to create innovation.

More details are available here.

Invitation: ASAHP Regional Summit Virtual Harvest

With innovations in interprofessional education and practice along with the recent changes in healthcare, there is a need to reconsider health professions clinical education. The 2022 ASAHP Regional Summits will provide an opportunity for dialogue and action between representatives in academia and the healthcare industry to discuss improvements to clinical education.

The Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) is hosting the 2022 ASAHP Regional Summit on June 3, 2022. The Summit will be in-person at each of the hubs, and registration is limited. The Summit culminates where all 4 hub sites convene in a virtual "Harvest" session consensus event designed to continue the local dialogue on a national level. 

ASAHP members unable to attend in-person are invited to join the virtual harvest session from 4:30pm-5:15pm ET to hear about the key takeaways from each hub and national trends. Learn more about the Summit here.

ASAHP Spotlight Interview: Dr. Gary Hu, PhD, RN

The ASAHP Spotlight Interview Series highlights research and initiatives in the health professions from our fellow members. Yesterday, we interviewed Gary Hu, PhD, RN, the recipient of ASAHP's 2021 Interprofessional Collaboration Research Grant and also the Director of Research and Global Outreach at Virginia Commonwealth University. We learned more about his background and heard about the inspiration behind his $25,000 grant winning research project "Contextual factors influencing implementation of interprofessional collaborative family-centered care (IPC FCC) for neonates during intensive care: A mixed methods study."

The 2022 Call for Proposals for the Interprofessional Collaboration Research Grant is now open and available here. ASAHP is expected to award 2-3 grants up to $25,000 per award.

Watch the full interview here.

National Academy Of Medicine Seeks Public Comment On Clinician Well-Being Plan

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience released a draft plan to promote collective action to improve the health and well-being of the healthcare workforce. The plan aims to provide a roadmap to ensure health workers stressed by the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic can provide optimal care for their patients. The comment period is open until May 27, 2022. 

The plan can be obtained at National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being - National Academy of Medicine (nam.edu).

Faculty Loan Repayment Program

The Faculty Loan Repayment Program application is now open. The program supports the recruitment and retention of health professions faculty from disadvantaged backgrounds. Applications will be accepted through Thursday, June 30, 7:30 p.m. ET. 

The application and program guidance information can be obtained at Faculty Loan Repayment Program - Fiscal Year 2022 - Application and Program Guidance - May 2022 (hrsa.gov).

Department of Education Urges Colleges to Use American Rescue Plan Funds to Provide Mental Health Supports to Students

Today, the U.S. Department of Education published new guidance to assist institutions in providing mental health supports for students, faculty, and staff. It includes specific examples of how colleges can use Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) to invest in evidence-based mental health supports.

ACE Webinar on Addressing Campus Mental Health Using Federal Relief Dollars

ACE, in partnership with the Department of Education, will be hosting a webinar exploring how colleges and universities can use federal COVID-19 relief funds to improve campus mental health resources at their institutions. Deputy Assistant Secretary Michelle Asha Cooper and a panel of campus leaders who have successfully used relief funds to expand the mental health resources available to their students will discuss their own experiences and answer questions from the public. The webinar will be held on May 25 from 2:00-3:00pm Eastern.

On May 23 at 12:30pm Eastern, the Department of Education will hold a summit on strategies to support students with disabilities and students with mental health needs.

Registration and more details for May 25 may be accessed here. Registration and more details for May 23 may be accessed here.

Senate Introduces Mental Health Legislation

U.S. Senators Chris Murphy and Bill Cassidy, M.D., members of the U.S. Senate HELP Committee, on Tuesday introduced legislation to reauthorize federal mental health and substance use disorder programs that were signed into law in 2016. The legislation would reauthorize through 2027 at $102.6 million annually, HRSA’s Mental and Behavioral Health Education and Training Grants to increase the supply of behavioral health professionals with a special focus on helping children, adolescents and youth at risk for behavioral health condition. The legislation would authorize $25 million to support states’ ability to enforce existing laws around mental health and substance use disorder parity.

More details may be accessed here.

ASAHP Announces 2022 ASAHP Regional Summits Across The U.S.

The Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) announced today that it will present the 2022 ASAHP Regional Summits on June 3, 2022, bringing together health industry and academic partners to discuss how to adapt to innovations and changes within health professions. For the first time, ASAHP will be holding these Regional Summits concurrently in four unique hub site locations across the U.S., as opposed to the one location they have hosted in previous years. Each location will feature an in-person opportunity for dialogue and action between multiple stakeholders from academia and the healthcare industry to discuss improvements to clinical education. These summits are designed to create specific strategies to enhance health professions education and improve the health of individuals and communities.

Hospital And Health System Recent Job Profile

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for April of this year, hospitals and health systems added 4,500 jobs. Hospital employment remains over 90,000 below its March 2020 peak, but has grown in 16 of the past 25 months for a slow but steady job recovery. Total health care jobs grew by 34,300 in April to a seasonally adjusted 16.2 million, with physicians’ offices and home health care services leading job growth. Employment at nursing homes and residential care facilities increased by about 1,900. 

The report can be obtained at Table B-1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry sector and selected industry detail - 2022 M04 Results (bls.gov).