BUSSW & Sargent College Launch Joint Online Certificate Program: Building Interprofessional Leadership in Healthcare Through Alumni Mentorship

Update, 12/21/21: Following the success of the pilot program, the Interprofessional Leadership in Health Care Online Certificate Program will continue with new cohorts starting in February 2022 and September 2022. Learn more and register here!

In February 2021, BU’s School of Social Work (BUSSW) and the College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College launch the joint online certificate “Interprofessional Leadership in Health Care,” a pilot program comprised of five courses that spans over twenty weeks. Tapping into the vast experience of Boston University alumni, the program recruited thirty healthcare professionals from the School of Social Work, the School of Public Health, the School of Medicine, and Sargent College to create an interdisciplinary coalition of e-mentors who will coach students through a multi-faceted introduction to interprofessional health care leadership. 

For students, this program addresses a common need: many healthcare professionals assume leadership roles without the necessary leadership training to lead cross-professional teams, often learning management skills on the job. The result is limited impact and effectiveness across disciplines. The new certificate program will help prepare healthcare professionals to coordinate, manage, and deliver services with the ultimate goal of improving  health care outcomes for people everywhere. 

The course, designed to capitalize on a team-based, peer-to-peer virtual habitat, will use case studies, simulations, and exercises, and leverage technologies including Project ECHO® and Zoom.

The joint program is supported by Boston University Digital Learning & Innovation (DL&I) and spearheaded by project leaders at Sargent College and BUSSW, including Research Assistant Professor Bronwyn Keefe, director of BUSSW’s Center for Aging & Disability Education & Research (CADER) and director of BUSSW Professional Education Programs, and Sargent College’s Karen Jacobs and Craig Slater.

Learn more about the project at the DL&I website.