The 2025 National Academies of Practice (NAP) Annual Meeting & Forum brought together healthcare professionals dedicated to transforming health and wellbeing through collaboration across the health professions. The Michigan Center for Interprofessional Education (C-IPE) was proud to contribute to the forum’s mission, sharing insights, advocating for interprofessional practice and access to quality healthcare, and celebrating accomplishments within the interprofessional community. “The presentation by the C-IPE team at NAP was an excellent demonstration of collaboration with U-M Health in order to progress our key strategic priorities,” said David Miller, MD, MPH, president of U-M Health. “I was honored to be a participant in the roundtable presentation and discussion.”
Advocating for High-Quality Collaborative Healthcare
The Center’s time at NAP 2025 kicked off with an inspiring Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill on March 13. Constituents and colleagues from Michigan met with Michigan legislators to champion access to high-quality, collaborative healthcare.
Reflecting on the impact of NAP’s work, Rajesh Mangrulkar, Executive Director of the Center for Interprofessional Education, shared, "NAP stands apart as the only interprofessional group of healthcare practitioners and scholars dedicated to shaping policy and advocating for high-quality, accessible care. This year we met with staff from members of Congress across the political spectrum, centering on telehealth access across the professions as a first step. Our hope is to shape meaningful change in systems through expert guidance and shared knowledge."
This day of advocacy reinforced the collective commitment to integrated, team-based care that benefits patients and communities nationwide. Reflecting on the experience, Vani Patterson, Administrative Director of the Center for Interprofessional Education, shared, "Now more than ever we must work in unison with the breadth of health professions to champion better healthcare for all."
Advancing the Intersection of Education and Practice
A key highlight of this year’s forum was the presentation by Mangrulkar, Patterson, and C-IPE Administrative Fellow Chloe Miwa, alongside UM-Health President David Miller. Their session near the beginning of the conference explored the intersection of interprofessional education and health system strategy, emphasizing the need for stronger connections between education and practice to best serve our patients, communities, and workforce. As they work to bridge this gap brick by brick, their discussion set the tone for the conference and underscored the importance of embedding interprofessional collaboration within the fabric of healthcare systems.
Welcoming the Public Health Academy and Recognizing New Inductees
This year marked a significant milestone with the launch of NAP’s 17th academy—the Public Health Academy. Neil Maniar, of Northeastern University, serves as the Academy Chair, while C-IPE’s own Vani Patterson steps into the role of Chair-Elect. Both of them spent the past year leading the creation of this academy, highlighting the expanding role of public health in interprofessional collaboration and policy.
C-IPE also celebrated the induction of seven University of Michigan community members into NAP as Distinguished Fellows. This honor recognizes individuals who have spent a significant portion of their professional career in the practice and delivery of health care services and they are judged by distinguished peers to have made enduring contributions to their profession and especially to interprofessional education and practice. The group includes faculty and clinicians from the University of Michigan, University of Michigan-Flint, and University of Michigan-Dearborn.
The Class of 2025 inductees from U-M are as follows:
- Olivia Anderson, Public Health Academy (U-M)
- Lenette Jones, Nursing Academy (U-M)
- Erin Khang, Social Work Academy (U-M)
- Lisa Martin, Public Health Academy (UM-Dearborn)
- Vani Patterson, Public Health Academy (U-M)
- Suzanne Trojanowski, Physical Therapy Academy (UM-Flint)
- Carman Turkelson, Nursing Academy (UM-Flint)
These individuals exemplify the spirit of collaboration and innovation in healthcare education and practice.
Showcasing Research and Innovation
C-IPE and University of Michigan team members also shared their expertise through impactful poster presentations:
- Enhancing Interprofessional Teamwork by Strategically Leveraging Our Health Systems Data – Chloe Miwa, Rajesh Mangrulkar, Vani Patterson, Amani Abuelenain
- Upstream Determinants: Integrating Cultural Awareness Across Core IPE Curricular Programming – Olivia Anderson, Hannah Edwards, Debra Mattison, Laura Smith
These projects highlight the transformative power of interprofessional education in driving data-informed decision-making and cultural awareness within healthcare teams.
Looking Ahead
The 2025 NAP Annual Meeting & Forum was an inspiring opportunity for C-IPE to engage with like-minded professionals, advocate for meaningful change, and celebrate achievements within the interprofessional community. As the Center continues its commitment to advancing interprofessional collaboration, these efforts will play a crucial role in shaping the future of healthcare, ensuring that teams work together to provide the highest quality care to patients.