D’Youville and UB Working Together on Advanced Primary Care Interprofessional Training Initiative

The D’Youville College School of Health Professions will partner with the University at Buffalo Jacobs School Of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences on a project to strengthen the primary care workforce. The two institutions will develop enhanced interprofessional education (IPE) models for future primary care providers in underserved areas of the region, state, and nation.

The purpose of the grant is to transform clinical training environments in primary care settings by creating an advanced primary care curriculum that incorporates interprofessional education across the training continuum and primary care disciplines.

The D’Youville team will work with UB under a $2.5 million, five-year grant UB received from the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration. The grant, funded under the Interprofessional Advanced Primary Care Training Program, will be directed by Dr. Andrew Symons, associate professor and vice chair for Medical Student Evaluation at UB Family Medicine.

Dr. Renee Andreeff, associate professor in D’Youville’s Physician Assistant department, will co-direct the project with faculty from the family medicine, general internal medicine, and nurse practitioner programs at UB. Kathleen Curtin, assistant professor in D’Youvilles’s Department of Health Services Administration, will serve as the Associate Evaluator for the overall project.

Dr. Maureen Finney, dean of D’Youville’s School of Health Professions, will be an IPE Curriculum Advisor and on the Advanced Primary Care Joint Curriculum Committee with Dr. Andreeff and the UB faculty.

Approximately 20 D’Youville Physician Assistant students will be placed on interprofessional learning teams in UB’s APC Teaching Network and with UB’s medical and nursing students and primary care residents.

"Interprofessional education is an integral component of learning for all of the health professions and the department is very excited to be involved," said Dr. Andreeff. "D’Youville is a leader in this area and the collaboration will allow our Physician Assistant students to heighten the education experience with the UB medical resident and nurse practitioner students who one day may work side by side. This educational experience will also help to further prepare our students to provide high quality healthcare."

The Health Resources & Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary federal agency for improving health and achieving health equity through access to quality services, a skilled health workforce, and innovative programs.