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Woodruff Health Sciences Center recognizes individuals for exceptional commitment to interprofessional education
graduates of the program dressed in regalia

The inaugural recipients of the Interprofessional Education Certificate of Distinction, awarded during the December 2023 graduation ceremonies for the Emory University School of Medicine.

The inaugural recipients of Emory’s Interprofessional Education (IPE) Certificate of Distinction were recognized at the completion of the fall 2023 semester. The certificate is offered through the Woodruff Health Sciences Center (WHSC) Office of Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice (IPECP). It recognizes Emory’s health professional students, residents and fellows who demonstrated an exceptional commitment to interprofessional education while earning their graduate degrees or completing their residency and fellowship programs.

The ten inaugural awardees are:

  • Kaizeen Badshah, MMSc, PA
  • Courtney Morgan Cravens, MMSc, PA
  • Colleen DaCosta, MMSc, PA
  • Ashley Davis, MMSc, PA
  • Jessica Enfinger, MMSc, PA
  • Bryan Fleischman, MMSc, PA
  • Daniel Lee, MMSc, PA
  • Emily Rukeyser, MMSc, PA
  • Amy Sinclair, MMSc, PA
  • Caroline Wells, MPH, MMSc, PA

To earn the certificate, recipients must participate in a minimum number of interprofessional experiential learning opportunities beyond their school’s required interprofessional courses. These out-of-the-classroom activities must involve learners from two or more health professions; make IPE learning explicit as one of its goals; include interactivity and reflection among learners; and aim to address at least one of the four IPEC core competencies:

  • Values and ethics
  • Roles and responsibilities
  • Communication
  • Teams and teamwork

Awarded during the December 2023 graduation ceremonies, the inaugural IPE Certificate recipients graduated from the Emory University School of Medicine’s Master of Medical Science Physician Assistant Program. They earned their certificates through engagement in the Emory Farmworker Project, one of many approved experiential learning programs through which students and trainees can earn an IPE certificate.

“We are thrilled to award our inaugural IPE Certificates of Distinction to this amazing group of students from the School of Medicine’s PA Program,” said Jodie Guest, co-director of the Office of IPECP and director of the Emory Farmworker Project. “I have had the privilege of working with them in their roles as PA students in the classroom and at the Emory Farmworker Project. They have not only made a positive difference in the health of the migrant farmworker families that the EFP serves, but they have also demonstrated their commitment to interprofessional education and its importance in clinical practice as they worked across health disciplines providing excellent health care in outside clinics under tents, caring for those with little or no access to routine care.”

Students and trainees can participate in a variety of Emory IPE activities and apply for a certificate at any point in their Emory careers.

“When our office began in 2022, we wanted to honor students who demonstrated a strong commitment to interprofessional education going beyond class requirements to participate deeply with programs that do not get them credit but are embedded in health equity and community engagement across disciplines,” Guest said. “Our new IPE Certificate of Distinction program both honors the commitment of our students and highlights the excellent interprofessional education opportunities that exist at Emory.

“I could not be more proud of them, and I know that they will make a positive difference in the communities they serve as physician assistants,” Guest added.

The Office of IPECP will award its second round of IPE Certificates of Distinction to students and trainees completing their Emory programs in May 2024.

“We applaud our initial IPE certificate cohort from the School of Medicine’s PA program,” said Beth Ann Swan, co-director of the Office of IPECP. “We will continue to engage Emory’s health professional students, residents and fellows across the Woodruff Health Sciences Center in IPE opportunities, and we look forward to awarding future certificates to recipients from Emory’s three health professional schools.”

To learn more about the IPE Certificate of Distinction program, visit the WHSC Office of IPECP’s website.


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