Researchers from Robert Gordon University (RGU) recently hosted a multi-disciplinary delegation from Japan to mark the latest stage of a collaborative international project.
The team from Nagoya University visited the university at the start of September to discuss further projects to develop the relationship with the RGU IPE research group which began in 2012.
Three medical students from Japan also joined the team who spoke about their Interprofessional Education (IPE) experiences at the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) conference in Glasgow.
Professor Lesley Diack from RGU’s School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences and Dr Sundari Joseph from the university’s School of Nursing and Midwifery, are two of the members of the RGU / University of Aberdeen Interprofessional Education Research Group.
Professor Diack said: “We were honoured to welcome our colleagues from Nagoya University to RGU to discuss our research projects and what we can work on together in the future.
“We have built strong links between the two universities which has helped us develop and strengthen International Interprofessional Collaboration for the joint project team.”
There have already been two successful funding bids to the Sasakawa Foundation for projects developing International Interprofessional Collaboration.
In 2013, the joint team received funding to develop a Japanese version of the IPE game designed between RGU and the University of Aberdeen.
The team were subsequently funded for another project to celebrate International Diabetes Day on November 14, 2014 when two groups of students from each of the countries worked to put together a care plan for a diabetic patient and then discussed the plan online in a webinar.
This allowed the students, working in interprofessional teams to have access not only to more professions but also to an international perspective. The webinar was very successful with the two groups of students learning about diabetes, diversity and team working.
RGU’s IPE research team has hosted a number of overseas visits this summer from Spain, Qatar and Japan.
Later this year four members of the research team are presenting at the First Interprofessional Conference on IPE in Doha in December. Professor Diack and Dr Joseph are part of the advisory group for the conference and Professor Diack is part of a keynote panel presenting on the development of successful IPE.