Message from the LAU-IPE Chair

Welcome to LAU’s Interprofessional Education (IPE) Program that describes the Lebanese American University (LAU)’s approach to IPE, and the available opportunities for learners and educators to be involved in interprofessional as well as intraprofessional activities. Effective interprofessional teams start with intraprofessional teams with members of the same profession working with and for each other. At LAU, health and nutrition care programs have been collaborating to provide the respective students with a well thought out IPE program, conduct interdisciplinary research and ensure a sustained effort to further advance interprofessional learning and patient-centered collaborative practice.

Through alignment of different curricular and educational goals, students from various health and nutrition care professions interact and learn together about the values of interprofessional communication and collaboration, and the roles and responsibilities of their respective disciplines. Students engage in structured educational and learning activities that equip them with the knowledge, skills and attributes to become future effective members of the interprofessional healthcare teams, help improve patient care delivery in Lebanon, and be actively responsive to the community health needs.

The IPE program also emphasizes the importance of establishing practice models of interprofessional collaboration.  Thus, members of the IPE program workgroup are engaged in presenting at LAU-Medical Center Rizk Hospital’s Grand rounds, engaging Deans and clinical faculty of the respective schools, offering recognition for hospital and ambulatory health teams which exemplify interprofessional collaboration This is critical to ensure that the students experience role model practitioners which will motivate them to follow suit in their own practice.

Ultimately, an effective interprofessional and intraprofessional health team should have adaptability, clear roles, effective communication, life-long learning, measurable processes and outcomes, mutual trust, shared goals and solidarity.  This is essential to improve patients experience and care, achieve better population outcomes for health and decrease per capital cost of health.

Naser Zaki Alsharif, PharmD, PhD, MS
Dean, School of Pharmacy
Chair, IPE Program, 2022-Present