New annual report showcases interprofessional impact

(Photo courtesy of Center for Interprofessional Collaboration)

Team-based care is at the center of how the Center for Interprofessional Collaboration prepares UTHealth Houston students for practice. That work is highlighted in the center's annual report, which documents a year of growth and cross-campus impact.

Through team-focused simulations, interprofessional learning experiences, and a curriculum centered on patient safety, the center supports students in medicine, nursing, dentistry, public health, biomedical sciences, behavioral health, and biomedical informatics.

These experiences are designed to strengthen communication, collaboration, and clinical decision-making before students enter professional practice.

In the past year alone the center engaged more than 1,500 students in over 3,800 interprofessional learning encounters and delivered more than 50 discrete events and activities designed to strengthen teamwork and patient safety.

The report, released in December 2025, also reflects leadership growth within the center. Robert Coghlan, PhD, RN, MSN, assistant professor at Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston, became the newest administrative director, joining Rachel Jantea, MD, director of education at the center and an associate professor of geriatric and palliative medicine at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

In addition to its campuswide efforts, the center plays an active role beyond the university. It is a member of the Texas Interprofessional Education Consortium and the American Interprofessional Health Collaborative, connecting UTHealth Houston to statewide and national conversations on interprofessional education and practice.