UC Davis Health System is proud to be home to medical, nursing, family nurse practitioner/physician assistant, public health and health-informatics students, and to also be the internship site for pharmacy, nutrition and other programs. Improving the health of our communities requires that we bring together the perspectives and strengths of these disciplines – and UC Davis is particularly well-positioned to do so.

Today at UC Davis, Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing and School of Medicine faculty are establishing interprofessional curricula so that all of our students benefit from the broader perspectives achieved learning "shoulder to shoulder." We are transforming health education through these multidisciplinary learning teams, which prepare tomorrow's health leaders to work together to more effectively address our nation's challenging health problems.

For example, our classes that develop clinician-patient communications skills through problem-based learning will welcome both medical students and our new nursing graduate students to learn together this fall. For this class, actor-patients present students with specific disease symptoms and other characteristics, such as economic hardships, strained family relations or preconceived ideas about health and wellness. This innovative approach allows students, and students working as interprofessional teams, to develop skills in compassionate, quality care before assuming responsibility for "real" patients in the clinic, hospital and community.

We also provide education in diverse community settings. For example, our Rural-PRIME students are learning in the rural communities like those in which they aspire to work in the future. They are able to connect back to the university online, using Web technology and telemedicine, for specialized course work while completing their rural clerkships. The nursing school is working with the Rural-PRIME hospitals to conduct nursing research now and will expand its partnership with them as part of its concentration on rural health.

At UC Davis Health System, we also focus on the importance of lifelong learning. We reach out to youth aspiring to health careers to prepare them for advanced education in the health professions. These programs help us recruit talented, diverse students to UC Davis. Through our continuing health-education programs, we provide courses for professionals throughout their careers. In fact, our Continuing Medical Education program was recently recognized by CME accreditors as among the top 10 percent of all programs in the country.

Attracting and retaining the brightest students and accomplished faculty members in our schools of medicine and nursing is critical to our success in effectively educating the next generation of health professionals. Philanthropic support of scholarships and faculty endowments enhances our ability to attract "the best and the brightest." To contribute to our scholarship funds, or to create an endowed chair or professorship, please contact our Health Sciences Advancement team at 916-734-9400.

Perhaps the most significant benefit from the interprofessional perspective of our education programs is its reflection in our other mission areas of research, clinical care and community engagement. Our interprofessional education programs are creating multidisciplinary teams that expand the frontiers of research – from fundamental science to clinical and translational studies that will find real-world solutions to improve patient outcomes and population health. Similarly, interprofessional training builds teams of health professionals with the skills and experiences needed to effectively work together to continuously improve clinical care and optimize the quality, accessibility and cost-effectiveness of health services.

Developing creative models of interprofessional education, research and clinical care to address the health needs of our society involves a team effort. You are key members of our UC Davis team. Thank you for your support as we continue to advance the quality and scope of innovative education of health professionals. We are proud to count you as a partner in our journey.