ASCO demonstrated its expanded and ongoing commitment to interprofessional education and collaborative practice under the leadership of the 2012 – 2014 ASCO President, Dr. Jenny Coyle, whose presidential initiatives included establishing ASCO’s Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice (IPECP) Committee. The importance of IPECP is a fundamental component of ASCO’s 2011 revised “Attributes of Graduates of the Schools and Colleges of Optometry” document as well as ASCO’s new Strategic Plan.
The IPECP Committee continues to be an active body within ASCO. The appointed members of the 2017 – 2018 IPECP Committee are as follows:
- Donnie Akers, OD
Assistant Professor, University of Pikeville, Kentucky College of Optometry
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs - Linda Casser, OD, FAAO, FNAP, Chair
Professor, Pennsylvania College of Optometry
Coordinator of Interprofessional Education Initiatives, Salus University - Elli Kollbaum, OD, FAAO
Clinical Associate Professor, Indiana University, School of Optometry
Chief, Vision Rehabilitation Service
Director, External Rotation Program - Richard Madonna, MA, OD, FAAO
Professor, State University of New York, State College of Optometry
Chair, Department of Clinical Education
Director, Office of Continuing Professional Education - Valerie Quan, OD, FAAO
Associate Professor, Western University of Health Sciences, College of Optometry
Chief, Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation - Candice Turner, OD
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry - Melissa Zarn, OD, FAAO
Assistant Professor, Southern College of Optometry
Director of Interprofessional Education
The charge to the 2017 – 2018 IPECP Committee is:
- Develop, share and/or recommend strategies for member institutions to incorporate interprofessional education into their curricula.
- Discuss the development of demonstration projects to raise awareness of optometry’s role in collaborative patient care and to provide resources for ASCO member institutions to assist in curriculum development.
- Raise public and professional awareness of the role that optometry has in team-based collaborative patient-centered care.
Consistent with its 2017 – 2018 charge, the ASCO IPECP Committee developed proposals for presentations at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Optometry in San Antonio, TX, which have been accepted by the Optometric Educators Section and the Academy.
- Symposium presentation: Creating, Implementing, and Sustaining a Culture of Interprofessional Education (IPE) in Schools and Colleges of Optometry
The Symposium is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. All members of the IPECP Committee will serve as Symposium speakers and share their perspectives and experiences in IPE. Given the location of the 2018 AAO Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Denise Doyle, PhD, Emerita Provost, Chancellor, and Acting President, University of the Incarnate Word, will also provide an administrator’s perspective on IPE, and students from the University of Incarnate Word’s optometry, pharmacy, and physical therapy programs will provide student perspectives on IPE.
- Workshop presentation: Toolkits and Resources for Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice Initiatives in Optometry
The Workshop is scheduled on Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, from 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm. The featured Workshop speakers are:
- John Nishimoto, OD, MBA, FAAO
Senior Associate Dean for Professional Affairs
Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University
ASCO Liaison to the Interprofessional Professionalism Collaborative (IPC) - Sandra S. Block, OD, MEd, MPH, FAAO, FCOVD, FNAP
Professor, Illinois College of Optometry
Medical Director, School-Based Vision Clinics
Chair, National Academy of Practice in Optometry (NAPO)
The ASCO IPECP Committee cordially invites administrators, faculty members, and students to attend the IPE Symposium and Workshop at the 2018 AAO Annual Meeting.