INDIANAPOLIS—Indiana University School of Medicine and Indiana University Clinical Affairs have recruited Barbara Maxwell, PhD, DPT, MSc, Cert THE, FNAP, to direct the IU Interprofessional Practice and Education Center, effective October 18, 2021. Additionally, Maxwell will serve as Associate Dean and professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at IU School of Medicine.
Maxwell has been involved with collaborative work for more than 30 years and has supported interprofessional practice and education (IPE) on three continents, working with colleagues from numerous health professions in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and across the United States.
In her current role as University Director of Interprofessional Education & Collaboration and professor at A.T. Still University (ATSU) in Mesa, Arizona, she has been an IPE champion and oversees aging studies programs in Arizona and Missouri and at the Center for Resilience in Aging at ATSU.
“I am confident that Dr. Maxwell’s transformational leadership will advance the work of both the IPE Center and IU, and, ultimately, will improve health professions education and health care outcomes in Indiana,” said Jay L. Hess, MD, PhD, MHSA, IU’s executive vice president for university clinical affairs and dean of IU School of Medicine.
A licensed physical therapist and enthusiastic educator, Maxwell is former dean of the Arizona School of Health Sciences at A.T. Still University and a professor in graduate interprofessional education at A.T. Still University and Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
Originally from Northern Ireland, Maxwell is a frequent presenter at international conferences and author of numerous publications with grant-funded research in interprofessional and collaborative health care, geriatric workforce enhancement and neurological rehabilitation. Maxwell is a Distinguished Scholar and Fellow of the National Academies of Practice (FNAP), and inaugural chair of the NAP Physical Therapy Academy. She has served in leadership of several statewide, national and international interprofessional organizations, including serving as the United States representative to Interprofessional.Global, the Global Confederation for Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice.
“Interprofessional practice and education are core to our academic and clinical practice at IU. Dr. Maxwell will bring extensive leadership, experience and innovation to build on our program with a lens of real-world experience in partnership with our faculty across Indiana,” said Robin Newhouse, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, dean of IU School of Nursing.
Maxwell holds a PhD in interprofessional education from Bournemouth University (UK), a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) from A.T. Still University, a Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education (THE) from Oxford Brookes University (Oxford, England), a Master of Science in research methodology from Kings College-London University, and a Bachelor of Science in physiotherapy from the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland.
She arrives at a time when interprofessional education and practice is transforming health care. The IPE Center’s mission is to extend a culture of collaboration across the state and build stronger and better health care teams for the future. A key component of the collaborative work is providing learners with a foundational curriculum preparing them for interprofessional practice.
“The diversity of colleges and programs within Indiana University’s nine campuses provides unique opportunities to bring together faculty, clinicians and students from dentistry, nursing, medicine, rehabilitation sciences, optometry, physician assistant studies, pharmacy, public health, social work and more—to learn with, from, and about each other to develop the necessary collaborative skill to transform health care,” Maxwell said. “I am excited by the possibilities as I lead the Interprofessional Practice and Education Center team into the future.”
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IU School of Medicine is the largest medical school in the U.S. and is annually ranked among the top medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The school offers high-quality medical education, access to leading medical research and rich campus life in nine Indiana cities, including rural and urban locations consistently recognized for livability.