Listening — to patients and to one another — was the thread that tied together every session, story, and takeaway during the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) 13th Annual Interprofessional Education (IPE) Day. 

Hosted by UMB’s Center for Interprofessional Education (CIPE) on April 2, IPE Day brought together more than 500 students from all seven UMB professional schools — Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Law, Dentistry, Social Work, and Graduate Studies — for a full afternoon of collaborative learning, simulation activities, and real-life insights into the power of team-based care. 

“I started out as a transplant surgeon,” UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, said in remarks that opened the event. “These were complex patients. They had all kinds of problems, and we learned very quickly that if you wanted a good outcome, you had to have everyone in the room with you and the patient,” he said, emphasizing the importance of every team member, from social workers to pharmacists. 

Jarrell noted that interprofessional education leads to better patient outcomes and more efficient care — and that participating in team-based training not only benefits patients, but also gives providers confidence in the care they deliver. “You’re going to know that you’ve given better care to your patient, whatever your role on the team may be,” he stressed. 

Izzy, whose care was the center of this year’s case study, uses her assistive technology to communicate during the event’s interprofessional patient experience panel.

The event’s agenda included an interprofessional patient experience panel moderated by Elsie Stines, DNP, CRNP, assistant vice president for Special Projects and Initiatives, who leads UMB’s President’s Clinic. The weekly interprofessional pediatric clinic allows students and faculty from across disciplines to work together to care for patients with complex health needs. 

Panelists included Amy Kruger Howard, MS, PharmD, a pediatric clinical pharmacist and clinical assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy; Everett Smith, MSW, clinical instructor and director of Tele-Behavioral Health Education at the University of Maryland School of Social Work; and Margaret Martin, RN, BSN, pediatric gastroenterology nurse. 

At the center of this year’s case study was Isabelle — who likes to be called Izzy — a 10-year-old girl living with multiple rare and chronic conditions. Izzy, who is nonverbal and uses assistive technology to communicate, sat alongside her mother, Latoya Gaskill, and several members of her care team — including representatives from pharmacy, nursing, and social work — as the panel discussed how team-based care and shared knowledge have helped her navigate significant challenges. 

“Our family’s schedule revolved around her care,” Gaskill shared, describing the overwhelming complexity of coordinating medications, insurance, appointments, and therapies they faced after Izzy’s birth. 

Their medical journey began even before Izzy was born, when Gaskill was diagnosed with a rare and serious pregnancy complication called twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. Born at just 32 weeks, Izzy faced medical issues including heart defects, chronic lung disease, a brain malformation, and feeding difficulties that required a GJ tube. The early years of her life were filled with hospital stays, surgeries, and dozens of follow-up appointments across a number of specialties. Gaskill left the workforce to care for her daughter full time, managing a maze of medical systems, insurance programs, and social services, all while raising two other children, including Izzy’s twin sister. 

Panelists described how each profession represented in the President’s Clinic contributed to Izzy’s care: Pharmacists monitored medication safety through her feeding tube and adjusted dosages as needed; social workers helped the family navigate complex insurance systems and secure mobility aids; nurses provided hands-on care at home and school; and dietitians and specialists collaborated to address feeding issues, helping Izzy gain weight and transition to eating some foods by mouth. For Gaskill, having a compassionate, consistent team that listened, problem-solved together, and treated her family as partners in care made an overwhelming situation more manageable, and gave Izzy the best chance at stability. 

Izzy, who spoke periodically using her speech device, shared details about her life with the audience during the session. And as the panel drew to a close, Stines offered a powerful reminder: Listening — not just to fellow health care professionals, but to patients themselves — is essential to providing meaningful care. “I asked Izzy if there was one thing that she would want all of you to know about what’s important to her,” Stines said. “What she wants is to make sure that people know she has a voice.” 

Gaskill echoed that message. “So many times, somebody sees her, and because she's nonverbal, assumes that she doesn't have a voice. They don't ask her how she's feeling,” she explained. “She wants to make sure that every one of you know that just because she's nonverbal, she does have a communication pad — and she can answer those questions.” 

Following the panel, students dispersed across campus for breakout case sessions, where they worked in interprofessional teams to conduct simulated patient interviews. Each group met with a standardized patient — a trained actor portraying someone with complex medical and social challenges. In one session, the patient shared a range of concerns, including a recent episode of arm pain, high blood pressure, and significant stress related to financial instability and the fear that her health might prevent her from supporting her family. 

Alex Beszhak, a student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, reflected on how working as a team shaped his simulation group’s approach. “There are seemingly five to 10 different ways that we've discussed just about how to address high blood pressure,” he said. “You can do it with medication. You can do it with diet. You can do it with activity. Choosing one is not right or wrong, but having a team to weigh the pros and cons of adding another medication or adding another medical intervention can be the difference between a patient being overwhelmed or [feeling] like they've got their health under control.” 

Heather B. Congdon, PharmD, CDCES, director of the Center for Interprofessional Education, said IPE Day helps students put early academic lessons into practice. “What we’re trying to do is have an ongoing learning continuum where students are progressing throughout the course of their time at UMB and learning basic skills about team-based care, and then practicing that in a safe environment, and then ultimately practicing that when they’re out seeing patients in interprofessional teams,” she said. “They really get a good sense of what the other disciplines offer, but also a really deep understanding and appreciation for their role on the team.” 

One such student, Madeline Enrich, a master’s candidate at the University of Maryland School of Social Work, appreciated how welcoming and collaborative her simulation group felt. “From a social work perspective, I was very lucky to work with providers who were open to social work,” she said. “And I really did appreciate that nursing was very interested in social work, and the med students were very interested in social work, and I thought that I was learning from them as well. It wasn't me being providing referrals and them speaking medical jargon at me.” 

Her biggest takeaway? “Everyone cares about their patients, and that’s the primary goal — to help your patient get better.”