Dr. Kevin Fung, Co-Chair, SWAHN Interprofessional Education Project Team
Kevin Fung is currently Professor & Chair/Chief of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Western University with a focus in Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, and Reconstructive Microvascular Surgery. He is cross-appointed to the Department of Oncology and the Don Wright Faculty of Music.
He was born in Montreal, grew up in Peterborough, is married to Samantha and has two daughters, Katelyn (10) and Alexa (7). His education includes an undergraduate degree in physics/ medical biophysics from UWO (1994), MD from Queen’s University (1997), residency training in OtoHNS at UWO (2002) and fellowship in Head and Neck Surgery and Microvascular reconstructive surgery at the University of Michigan where he pursued additional training in Laryngology with Dr. N.D. Hogikyan and research on gene therapy for management of RLN injury with Dr. Eva Feldman (2004). He recently obtained his Master's certificate in physician leadership development at the York University Schulich School of Business in Toronto.
Outside of the operating room, Dr. Fung is the piano accompanist for the Thames Valley Suzuki Music School, Honorary Class President of the Meds Class of 2015, Chair of the Clinical Sciences Electives Program, Vice Chair of the Clerkship and Electives Committee at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Chair of the Undergraduate Medical Education Committee for the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, acting Co-Director of the Office of Interprofessional Health Education and Research at Western, Co-Chair of the Interprofessional Education Working Group for the Southwestern Ontario Academic Health Science Network, Associate Scientist at the Lawson Health Research Institute, and Fellow of the Triological Society. He has 102 peer-reviewed publications and 2 book chapters. In the field of laryngology, he is the Director of the Spasmodic Dysphonia Clinic and Vocal Health Clinic at Victoria Hospital and a member of the AAOHNS Laryngology and Bronchoesophagology Education Committee.
His interests include Transoral laser microsurgery, Transoral Robotic Surgery, outcomes research, and medical education, in addition to hiking, running, and cycling. He has completed three marathons to date (Chicago, Ottawa, Boston, and will be looking forward to New York this November).
Ms. Sarah Picco, Co-Chair, SWAHN Interprofessional Education Project Team
Sarah Picco has over 13 years of experience as a Registered Nurse and has worked in Management at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH) since 2013. In addition to her BScN (University of Windsor), Sarah obtained her Master’s in Nursing Leadership from the University of Windsor. She also has a certification in Gerontology through the Canadian Nurses Association.
Sarah began her career in 2007 as a RN in Complex Medical Care and since then has served as Clinical Practice Manager and later as the Manager of Professional Practice and Infection Control. In these roles, she has overseen the clinical practice environment for staff across the HDGH campus, ensuring best practices are demonstrated and that exceptional care is provided to patients. In 2020, Sarah took on the role of Director of Rehabilitation and Restorative Care. This role involves providing operational oversight to all of HDGH’s complex medical, palliative and rehabilitation programs.
Sarah lives with her husband, John, and son, Cooper, in LaSalle, Ontario.
IPE Day 2021 - A virtual event!
Thank you to everyone who played a role in IPE Day 2021!
A planning committee with over 30 representatives from across the region designed the sixth annual event to be held virtually for the first time. This year's cohort involved almost 1,000 students from the University of Waterloo, University of Windsor, and Western University representing seven health care professions from 10 different professional programs in dentistry, medicine, nursing, nutrition, pharmacy, optometry, and social work. (See below for a listing of the programs by institution.)
The agenda for IPE Day 2021 is available here.
Learning Objectives:
- Explore professional roles – students are exposed to those studying in other health-related professions; they describe their own roles/scope of practice to the other members of their small group, exchanging ideas, and asking/answering questions;
- Build communication skills – through small group activities (ice breakers/role clarification/case analysis) students interact with their peers from other health professions through active discussion and listening;
- Build a better understanding of interprofessional collaborative practice – panel presentations provide a living example of interprofessional collaboration; case analysis presents an example of safe, effective, and efficient patient and family-centred health care.
IPE Day 2021 Welcome Video - produced by Michael O'Connor, Brescia University College.
The event kicked off with an assembly featuring Dr. Anna Gunz, a pediatric intensive care physician from London Health Sciences Centre, and Ms. Samantha Dokis, a PhD candidate in socio-cultural anthropology and an Anishinaabe Kwe Scholar. The discussion focused on both environmental health and the impacts of environmental racism on Indigenous communities.
This year, following the assembly, 102 Zoom breakout groups were launched comprised of 8-10 students and 1-2 facilitators each. The groups were curated to include students from as many different professions as possible given the number of students attending from each program.
Student Registration
Students were pre-registered for the event by their program leads in the following programs:
University of Waterloo:
- 90 students – School of Optometry & Vision Science
- 123 students – School of Pharmacy
- 15 students – School of Social Work – Renison University College
- 38 students – Medicine - Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry (Windsor campus)
- 88 students – Faculty of Nursing
- 76 students – Dentistry – Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
- 133 students – Medicine – Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
- 352 students – Nursing – Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences
- 13 students – Nutrition – Brescia University College
- 94 students – Social Work – King’s University College
Articles on IPE Day 2021:
School of Social Work, King's University College, Western University
School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University
IPE Day 2021 Student Testimonials:
"During IPE Day, I was able to interact and collaborate with students from a variety of different disciplines, gaining perspective into their professional roles and scope of practice. It was also very insightful to hear an array of different opinions and strategies regarding the case study that helped me understand how various team members are able to contribute to health care decision-making. I will keep in mind the things I learned during IPE day, where I will be able to incorporate them into my future practice." - Hellen Xu, Student, School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of Waterloo
"IPE Day provided me with the opportunity to connect with students from other professions. I appreciated the space to collaborate and learn from others when approaching a case. It was great practice for when I enter the working force." - Zara Ahmad, Student, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University
In London, the event gathered close to 800 students and 80 facilitators for an afternoon of collaborative learning. An assembly kicked off the afternoon at Alumni Hall, featuring a panel of eight health care providers who are experienced in working with interprofessional teams that serve refugees and newcomers. Panelists representing the London InterCommunity Health Centre and the Kitchener-Waterloo region shared their perspective on the tenets of providing team-based quality health care to patients, focusing on the six domains of interprofessional competencies (i.e., patient-centred care, roles and responsibilities, interprofessional teams, interprofessional communication, collaborative leadership, and interprofessional conflict) – while also recognizing the importance of addressing the social determinants of health.
We are grateful to the eight professionals who graciously shared their expertise with such a large audience. Thank you to Ms. Omobola Owuor, Ms. Susan Abunada, Dr. Mohammed El-Khatib, Ms. Mira Daher, Ms. Amanda Taylor and Ms. Amina Al Rohani from the London InterCommunity Health Centre, and to Dr. Wasem Alsabbagh, Pharmacist, University of Waterloo and Dr. Karla Kaphengst, Adjunct Professor, McMaster University.
Thank you as well to the 80 facilitators who guided 81 interprofessional student breakout groups in their ice breaker, role clarification, and case analysis exercises. SWAHN appreciates the 25 other individuals who volunteered their time to assist with set-up, registration, and directional assistance at the event. This event could not have functioned without these extraordinary volunteer efforts!
Click here for photos and an article on the event.
IPE Day 2019 - On March 26, 2019, SWAHN’s Interprofessional Education Day engaged over 700 students and more than 65 volunteer facilitators at two venues. The group in London included first-year students from the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and the University of Waterloo's School of Pharmacy. This year, undergraduate and graduate students from Western University's Faculty of Health Sciences in nursing, physical therapy and occupational therapy also participated along with social work students from King's University College. Students from the Master of Science in Food & Nutrition program from Brescia University College at Western University were also in attendance. In Windsor, the student complement included participants from the Schulich Windsor Campus, the University of Waterloo's School of Pharmacy, and the University of Windsor's Nursing and Social Work programs. An article in the London Free Press featuring the event can be found here. Additional photos of the event can also be found on the Twitter feeds of both the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy.
IPE Day 2018 - On March 26, 2018, this interprofessional event engaged over 600 students and more than 50 volunteer facilitators at two venues. The group in London included first-year students from the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and the University of Waterloo's Schools of Pharmacy and Optometry & Vision Science. This year, undergraduate and graduate students from Western University's Faculty of Health Sciences in nursing, physical therapy and occupational therapy also participated along with social work students from King's University College at Western University. In Windsor, the student complement included students from the Schulich Windsor Campus, the University of Waterloo's School of Pharmacy, and the University of Windsor's Nursing and Social Work programs.
IPE Day 2017 - Members of SWAHN’s Interprofessional Education Working Group were engaged in the development and execution of the second annual IPE Day held in both London and Windsor on the afternoon of Monday, April 3, 2017. In London, over 400 students and 35 facilitators were engaged. Windsor’s event involved 160 students and 20 facilitators.
The London group included all first-year students from the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University and University of Waterloo Schools of Pharmacy and Optometry & Vision Science with representation from the King’s University College and Renison University College Social Work programs.
The Windsor group included all first-year students from Schulich Windsor Campus Medicine as well as University of Windsor Nursing, Human Kinetics, and Social Work students. Respiratory Therapy students from St. Clair College were also engaged.
Both events included a live panel discussing a complex interprofessional patient case, a stereotype exercise, and a facilitated case discussion where the students were broken into small groups.
Priorities for next year include:
- potentially increasing capacity to include more professions;
- considering external funding sources and/or an alternate funding model;
- engaging more practitioner facilitators (e.g., social workers and community practitioners);
- potential alignment with other SWAHN working groups.
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo - "Over 400 healthcare students collaborate at interprofessional learning event."
- Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Windsor Campus - "A redefining day."
Purpose
The Interprofessional Education Project Team falls under the direction of the SWAHN Co-Lead who is overseeing the Interprofessional Collaboration Stream.
The purpose of the Interprofessional Education Project Team is to employ best practices within interprofessional education and practice to advance teaching, learning and practice transformation that will ultimately lead to improved health outcomes in Southwestern Ontario through collaborative, patient/family-centred care. The Project Team will also explore how to enhance access to interdisciplinary training, teaching and resources across Southwestern Ontario and promote ongoing dialogue between educators and practitioners.
The Interprofessional Education Project Team will accomplish this by:
- Ensuring that Project Team activities are aligned with the goals of SWAHN (i.e., to transform health in Southwestern Ontario through integrated excellence in research, education and clinical practice);
- Liaising with and reporting to the SWAHN Co-Lead who is overseeing the Interprofessional Collaboration Stream concerning matters related to its areas of focus;
- Developing short and long term goals in collaboration with the SWAHN Co-Lead who is overseeing the Interprofessional Collaboration Stream which will be specific, measurable, and achievable in one-to-two years (short term) and three-to-five years (long term);
- Identifying appropriate performance measures to monitor progress and performance;
- Coordinating with other SWAHN Project Teams to create relevant educational experiences that maximize value of limited resources and demonstrate the effectiveness of collaboration;
- Establishing partnerships among educational and practice communities across the region to create meaningful educational experiences that take advantage of enabling technologies where feasible;
- Sharing results through publication and speaking engagements.
Definition of Terms
- In order to provide clarity in its language, the Project Team has agreed to use the following definitions when referring to interprofessional education, interprofessional practice, and interprofessional collaboration.
Interprofessional Education (IPE)
- From the Centre for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education (CAIPE):
Interprofessional Education occurs when two or more professions learn with, from and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care. CAIPE, 2002 & WHO, 2010).Interprofessional Practice (IPP)
- From the Australian Interprofessional Practice & Education Network (AIPPEN): Interprofessional Practice occurs when all members of the health service delivery team participate in the team's activities and rely on one another to accomplish common goals and improve health care delivery, thus improving a patient's quality experience. Interprofessional practice (IPP) is thus the results when inter-professional learning is put into practice in the health workplace and in the community. AIPPEN, n.d.
Interprofessional Collaboration (IPC)
- Interprofessional Collaboration is a partnership between a team of health providers and a client in a participatory, collaborative and coordinated approach to shared decision-making around health and social issues. CIHC, 2010.
