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Submissions due by October 31, 2025

Purpose

The Interprofessional Education (IPE) Committee advances ACAPT’s vision of preparing physical therapy graduates to serve as effective members of collaborative health care teams. The committee supports faculty scholarship, promotes faculty and student development, and fosters innovation in IPE by creating resources, developing tools, disseminating best practices, and building partnerships with other health professions. Its work helps programs meet CAPTE accreditation requirements for interprofessional learning, positioning ACAPT institutions as leaders in advancing national standards and patient-centered care. This work aligns with ACAPT’s Excellence Framework and strategic priorities.

Composition

The committee is composed of approximately ten members, with attention to diversity across geography, program types, and interprofessional expertise.
Suggested membership includes:

• DPT Faculty with IPE responsibilities
• DPT Program Director or Associate Director
• Clinical Education Director or DCE with IPE focus
• Interprofessional partner faculty (e.g., nursing, medicine, pharmacy, social work, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology
• Clinician with demonstrated IPE expertise
• Department Chair or Academic Leader

Ex-officio liaisons include:

• One ACAPT Board of Directors member
• One ACAPT Staff liaison

Note: To ensure equitable opportunities and broad engagement, individuals may not serve on another ACAPT volunteer leadership group while serving on the IPE Committee.

Membership and Terms

• Leadership: Three-year leadership pipeline.
  • Year 1: Vice Chair
  • Year 2: Chair
  • Year 3: Past Chair
• Committee Members: Two-year terms, renewable once.

Leadership Structure and Succession

• Chair and Vice Chair: Appointed by the ACAPT Board from member institutions in good standing.
• Past Chair: Provides mentorship, context, and continuity.
• Leadership Pipeline: Together, the Vice Chair, Chair, and Past Chair ensure knowledge continuity, mentorship, and smooth transitions.
• Succession Planning: Outgoing leaders will mentor their successors, and future leaders are drawn from an open call to the ACAPT membership.

Selection Process

• Committee Members (general seats)
  • Open call: anyone from an ACAPT member institution can apply.
  • Eligibility: applicants do not need to be the ACAPT representative.
  • Selection:: reviewed by a subcommittee of IPE members, then confirmed by the committee.
  • Final appointment: confirmed at the committee level
• Leadership (Vice Chair, Chair, Past Chair)
  • Each year, ACAPT issues an open call for Vice Chair applications.
  • The ACAPT Board of Directors reviews applicants and appoints the Vice Chair.
  • Once appointed, the individual serves three consecutive years in the leadership pipeline:
    • Year 1: Vice Chair
    • Year 2: Chair
    • Year 3: Past Chair

    Eligibility: appointees must be from ACAPT member institutions in good standing and typically serve as the ACAPT representative.

Committee Organization and Assignments

IPE members are assigned to focus areas aligned with ACAPT’s strategic plan, Excellence Framework, and interprofessional standards.
Focus areas include:

• Faculty & Curriculum Development: Toolkits, case studies, simulations, and curricular integration models for embedding IPE in academic and clinical settings.
• Interprofessional Partnerships: Strengthening collaborations with other health profession education associations and accrediting bodies (e.g., AAMC, AACN, ADEA, AOTA, ASHA).
• Assessment & Scholarship: Identifying, developing, and disseminating IPE assessment tools, competency frameworks, and outcome measures.
• Resource Maintenance: Reviewing and updating ACAPT’s IPE resources on a three- to five-year cycle, ensuring relevance and accessibility.
• Programming: Recommending IPE-related sessions for ACAPT events and creating faculty workshops on emerging needs.

Responsibilities

• Resource Development & Dissemination
  • Create training modules, guidelines, and evidence-based resources to support faculty and institutions.
  • Maintain a repository of IPE case studies and success stories from member institutions.

• Collaboration & External Engagement
  • Serve as ACAPT’s liaison to national and international IPE initiatives.
  • Coordinate with other ACAPT committees and institutes to embed IPE across programs.
• Assessment & Research
  • Promote research in IPE outcomes and evidence-informed practices.
  • Recommend assessment frameworks that measure student competencies in team-based care.
• Committee Chair Responsibilities
  • Work with ACAPT staff to create timelines and strategic priorities for IPE. 
  • Submit reports to the ACAPT Board detailing progress, outcomes, and recommendations.

Evaluation

The ACAPT Board of Directors evaluates the IPE Committee’s work annually, focusing on its contribution to advancing ACAPT’s mission, member value, and leadership in IPE.