The way forward in health and social care education will be explored by an academic expert at an event in Aberdeen next week.
Professor Lesley Diack from Robert Gordon University (RGU) will talk about the benefits of a collaborative approach to education in patient-centred health care at a public lecture on Wednesday, February 17 at the university’s Garthdee campus.
The free event is part of a new series of professorial lectures announced by RGU where a number of its experts discuss topical research issues.
Professor Diack will draw on her extensive research into Interprofessional Education (IPE) where students from two or more professions in health and social care learn together in their professional training to achieve collaborative practice.
Professor Diack who is based at RGU’s School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, explains: “Health and social care delivery is becoming more complex and involves an increasing number of health, social care and other professionals.
“Several UK Government inquiries have highlighted what could go wrong when there is ineffective collaboration between professionals, demonstrating the need to increase and expand IPE to cross borders and boundaries.
“My professorial lecture will discuss the increasing challenges to understanding IPE and will argue that the way forward is to develop a more holistic transdisciplinary approach to education.”
Professor Diack joined RGU in 2003 and for the last 13 years has been actively researching IPE and collaborative practice. She is now a Professor of Transdisciplinary and Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL).
She adds: “Transdisciplinary and technology enhanced perspectives with research are the way forward for health and social care education but are we ready to take the next steps and to boldly go?
“My lecture will attempt to answer this, focussing on the journey from interprofessional to transdisciplinary while highlighting some of the major milestones along the way. I also plan to address some of the issues involved with implementing a more robust and all-encompassing research agenda.”
During her career, Professor Diack was the principal investigator on the Scottish Government funded IPE project and author of the 2008 report.
She has worked on a number of other funded IPE, TEL and education projects totalling over £1million with organisations including Police Scotland and Cancer Link Aberdeen and the North (Clan), and with collaborators in Europe, Japan and Qatar.
She is one of only a few Principal Fellows of the Higher Education Academy in Scotland, and has presented widely on education and technology topics as well as published many articles on both.
Her lecture, which is entitled ‘To Boldly Go: Crossing Borders, Boundaries and Disciplines as a Way Forward in Health and Social Care Education’, will begin at 6pm in the Sir Ian Wood Building located at RGU’s Garthdee campus.
There will be an opportunity for discussion led by questions and answers, which will be followed by light refreshments. For more information and to book a place at the lecture, please email Anna Duthie via a.duthie3@rgu.ac.uk or call 01224 262210.