In October 2015, Vicky Rizzo, Chair, Social Work, Gloria Meredith, Founding Dean, Pharmacy, and Nicole Rouhana, Graduate Program Director, Nursing, attended a three-day Interprofessional Education Collaboration (IPEC) training to develop a curriculum for IPE at Binghamton University. The beginnings of the Interprofessional Communications course content and the Healthcare Delivery assignment were created at this training. Of note, Binghamton University was one of only a few teams in attendance with the profession of social work represented. The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the national association representing social work education in the United States and the sole accrediting agency for social work education in the United States and its territories, was not a member of IPEC until 2017. However, the Binghamton University Department of Social Work recognized IPE as an innovative and integral opportunity for social work students.
During Spring 2016, Provost Nieman formed the University-wide Interprofessional Education Curriculum and Assessment Committee (IPECAC). The purpose of the committee was to develop and support implementation of IPE curricular content and simulation activities.
In Fall 2017, IPE courses were launched with the opening of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SOPPS). This included IPE Orientation and the Healthcare Delivery assignment in the fall and the Interprofessional Communications course launched in Spring 2018. Students from advanced practice nursing, pharmacy, and social work were included in these courses.
In 2020, Gail Rattinger, Associate Dean, Pharmacy, and Nicole Rouhana, Graduate Program Director, Nursing, were awarded the 2020 Council/Foundation Award recognizing outstanding service to the University for their work in the creation of the IPE curriculum at Binghamton University.
As Binghamton University added health related programs and launched the Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences, IPE has expanded in experiences and diversity in IPE teams. Currently, IPE activities include prelicensure nursing and graduate nursing programs, pharmacy, social work, public health, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech and language pathology.