Institute for Interprofessional Education (IIPE)

Interprofessional education provides students from different disciplines with opportunities to learn about, from and with each other. Interprofessional education prepares students to enter the workforce and collaborate effectively as a member of a health care team. A key step in moving health systems from fragmented operations to optimal efficiency, interprofessional education contributes to improved health care outcomes.

The Institute of Interprofessional Education will cultivate and promote evidence-based practices for Kean students, faculty, staff of diverse professions, and community partners by developing progressive interprofessional education, research and training experiences.

Our vision is that all health-related students and professionals will be trained in a way that enhances their learning and facilitates collaboration, resulting in the highest quality of care for our community.

Interprofessional Grand Rounds

Graduate students studying physical therapy, speech language pathology, occupational therapy and more collaborated to assist a fictional patient during Kean's 2019 Interprofessional Grand Rounds program. The event was designed to prepare students to work effectively on healthcare teams after graduation. 

IPE Core Competencies

The Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) has outlined four core competencies for education in the health professions:

1. Values and Ethics: Work with individuals of other professions to maintain a climate of mutual respect and shared values.
2. Roles and Responsibilities: Use knowledge of your profession and other disciplines to assess and address the health care needs of patients and to promote and advance the health of populations.
3. Interprofessional Communication: Communicate with patients, families, communities and professionals in health and other fields in a responsive and responsible manner that supports a team approach to the promotion and maintenance of health and the prevention and treatment of disease.
4. Teams and Teamwork: Apply relationship-building values and the principles of team dynamics to perform effectively in different team roles. Plan, deliver and evaluate patient and population-centered care. Create health programs and policies that are safe, timely, efficient, effective and equitable.

Co-authored by Kean professors Mahchid Namazi, George P. Holan, Sharon E. McKenzie, Prisca O. Anuforo, Jennifer A. Pax, Laurie Knis-Matthews and Donald R. Marks, "An Exploratory Survey Study of Grand Rounds as an Interprofessional Education Tool for Graduate Students in the Health Professions" explores the benefits of Grand Rounds for IPE and the academic process for developing IPE activities.  The article was published in the April 15, 2019 edition of Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups. 

Stavitz, J., Swan, K., Jr., Eckart, A., Koc, T., Tucker, J., Gentile, J. T., Ghimire, P. S., & Porcelli, R. (2026). Evolution of multifaceted sport-related concussion management: A 25-Year narrative review of multidomain assessment and multimodal rehabilitation. Sports, 14(3), 112. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports14030112

Friedman, Z., Simon, G., Giordano, K., Lee, J., Garro, A., Nealon, K. & Latawiec, J. (2025). Ongoing formative evaluation and quality improvement in an interprofessional family support program. Accepted for publication in OTJR: Occupational Therapy Journal of Research.

Friedman, Z. (2025). Interprofessional collaboration and self-compassion intervention for school-based practitioners: A mixed-methods analysis. Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics. 45(2), 222-239. https://doi.org/10.1080/01942638.2024.2400621

Hinman, D., Patten, S., Rivera, E., Lowy, N., Ghimire, P., (2025). Investigating interprofessional attitudes of students pre and post attendance of an IPE Grand Rounds at Kean University. End of Year Faculty Research Conference, Kean University, oral presentation.

Friedman, Z., El Roy, D. (2024) Exploring interprofessional and self compassion competencies for applied behavior analysis professionals: A Qualitative Study. Behavior Analysis in Practice. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-024-00991-5

Friedman, Z., Akselrud, R. & Prisco, D. (2024). Working together or apart? Impact of interprofessional education on collaborative competencies of applied behavior analysis and occupational therapy practitioners. European Journal of Behavior Analysis. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15021149.2024.2360791

Friedman, Z. L. (2024). Breakfast club lessons: Staff perspectives on a yearlong collaborative teletherapy initiative during COVID-19. Journal of Research onTechnology in Education, 56(2), 151-171.https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2022.2119447

Friedman, Z. L., & Nealon, K. (2023). Siloed vs. Interprofessional approach: Speech language pathologists' and occupational therapists’ perspectives on comorbidity of childhood apraxia of speech and sensory processing disorder. Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice, 31, 100611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xjep.2023.100611.

Friedman, Z. L., Hubbard, K., & Seruya, F. (2023). Building better teams: Impact of education and coaching intervention on interprofessional collaboration between teachers and occupational therapists in schools. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 16(2), 173-193.https://doi.org/10.1080/19411243.2022.2037492

Patten, S., Hinman, D. (2023) Webinar for the New Jersey Speech-Language Hearing Association (NJSHA) Supervisor’s Workshop. Presentation title: Incorporating IPP, IPE, and IPC into clinical education experiences for SLP graduate clinicians.

Friedman, Z., Akselrud, R., Goldman, M., Horowitz, R., Moradi, S. Seror, E. (2022). Charting a path to collaboration: Experiences of occupational therapy and applied behavior analysis practitioners. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19411243.2022.2106343

Tucker, J., Marshall, T., Beitscher, l., Mueller, K.*, Colucio, E.*, Koc Jr., T. (2022) “The Effect of Self-Reported Balance Confidence on Community Integration after Brain Injury: An Observational Study”. Brain Impairment, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1017/BrImp.2022.9

Tucker, J., Beitscher I., Koc, T., Fama, G.*, Patel, J.*, Friedman, H.* (2020). “Creative Therapeutic Interventions for Clinicians to Promote Physical Activity in Older Adults with a History of Brain Injury: A Viewpoint”. Physical Therapy Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1080/10833196.2020.1850164