The movement toward interprofessional work and the initiatives for interprofessional education is a result of the need for patients to receive safe quality care. The Institute of Medicine reports, Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001) and, more recently, Health Professions Education: A Bridge to Quality (2003) identify several core competencies: to provide patient-centered care, employ evidence based practice, apply quality improvement, work in interdisciplinary teams and utilize informatics.

The second annual West Michigan IPE conference entitled “Translating IPE Principles into Practice” convened on Friday, January 15, 2010, bringing together over 122 individuals from twenty-two partner organizations to discuss the emphasis on interprofessional education, a team approach involving the appropriate disciplines to secure the best patient outcomes. The 2010 conference objectives included discussing the value of interprofessional clinical practice and teachings, analyzing barriers and facilitators for education and practice, discussing opportunities to increase and strengthen education and practice, as well as strategizing methods for our academic and collaborative community partners to create innovative initiatives for interprofessional practice environments.