Alderman named new director of Interprofessional Education and Practice for the SON
January 10, 2023
Associate Professor Jennifer Alderman PhD, MSN, RN, CNL, CNE, CHSE, has been named Director of Interprofessional Education and Practice (IPEP) for the School of Nursing.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill established the Office of Interprofessional Education and Practice (OIPEP) in 2018 to position the University at the forefront of a nation-wide movement to transform the way students are trained for the workforce and care for our communities.
Nine professional schools (Adams School of Dentistry, Department of Allied Health, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, Gillings School of Global Public Health, Kenan Flagler Business School, School of Education, School of Medicine, School of Nursing, and School of Social Work) and the Health Sciences Library have directors who work with Associate Provost for Interprofessional Health Initiatives Meg Zomorodi to develop an interprofessional education (IPE) framework to optimize care and improve population health.
Alderman has been a dedicated faculty member with a focus on simulation, quality and safety, and interprofessional collaboration. Her passion for IPE began as a new nurse in the maternity unit, where she recognized how inadequate communication between the health care team impacted patient outcomes and her own satisfaction as a nurse.
When she became a nurse manager in 2005, she created a role where she participated monthly with physicians and served as a liaison between the MD group and the nursing staff, bringing concerns and feedback from group to group, respectively. She continued this passion for collaboration through her role as a MSN student at Carolina Nursing in 2008 and as a valued faculty member since 2010.
Dr. Alderman teaches across both the graduate and undergraduate program and has had leadership roles in the graduate program (faculty lead 2018–2020) and is currently the Undergraduate Lead Faculty.
The role of the Director of IPEP for the School of Nursing is to coordinate with nursing faculty in planning and supporting a growing number of IPEP learning experiences and scholarship opportunities across campus. Specifically, the IPEP Director facilitates the design of creative and meaningful ways to enhance student learning, build faculty scholarship, and move the School forward for meeting accreditation goals around IPEP.
Among her responsibilities, Alderman will maintain a school-wide IPEP committee, actively seek interprofessional education and practice opportunities for students, and work collaboratively with the UNC-Chapel Hill Office for IPEP.
