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This version of NSU News has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of NSU News, visit news.nova.edu.
This version of SharkBytes has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of SharkBytes, visit sharkbytes.nova.edu.
Medical School Receives $1.47 Million HRSA Grant
In July, Nova Southeastern University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine (NSU-COM) was awarded a five-year, $1.47 million grant by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration. The training grant, which focuses on primary care and interprofessional education and practice, will enable physician assistant (P.A.) students in this special interprofessional initiative to obtain a Master of Public Health degree at NSU-COM along with their physician assistant degree completion.
Physician Assistant students selected to participate in the program will join students from the College of Osteopathic Medicine who are enrolled in a similar interprofessional joint-degree program with the Master of Public Health Program. The students will work with the NSU-COM Center for Interprofessional Education and Practice (CIEP), which will provide them with cross discipline education, simulations, and clinical experiences. The students will also participate in a newly designed three-credit-hour course on Interprofessional Education and Practice, which will provide an introduction to the national Core Competencies for Interprofessional Education and Practice as well as offer a forum to examine issues, challenges, and opportunities in interprofessional practice in a changing landscape of health care delivery.
Having P.A. students join in this interprofessional education initiative is an important step in bringing students in various health professions together to learn about the team process and how to more effectively deliver primary care that is team-based, patient-centered, and which integrates the core principles of public health. “I cannot tell you how pleased I am to see the CIEP and the joint M.P.H. degree program expand to include the P.A. program,” said Cecilia Rokusek, Ed.D., R.D., professor of family medicine and public health and assistant dean of education, planning, and research. “This is a true testament to the leadership of the faculty members in the Center for Interprofessional Education and Practice and in our public health and P.A. programs. This program expansion is truly helping to make NSU-COM and the Health Professions Division true leaders in interprofessional education within the state and throughout the United States.”
Cyril Blavo, D.O., M.P.H. and T.M., professor of public health and pediatrics and director of the M.P.H. Program, will serve as the program’s principal investigator.