When Dr. April D. Newton, PT, DPT, PhD, FNAP, received the Outstanding Commitment to Community Engagement and Service award from the Indiana University School of Medicine’s Department of Family Medicine, her peers described her impact with one word: collaborative.
As Director of Interprofessional Practice Development at the IU Interprofessional Practice and Education Center, Dr. Newton has built spaces where students and providers learn from, and with, each other. She leads the Buprenorphine Clinic, Comprehensive Pain Assessment Clinic, and Well Child and Oral Health Clinic, each designed to model true team-based care. Family medicine residents work alongside learners and professionals from chaplaincy, dentistry, medical assisting, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and social work, gaining firsthand experience in how collaboration improves care for patients and families.
Beyond the clinic, Dr. Newton’s commitment extends deep into the community. She mentors health-professions learners through the IU Student Outreach Clinic, ensuring patients without access to care still receive it through compassionate, team-based service. She is also a founding figure behind Breaking the Cycle of Addiction: A Collaborative Recovery Experience, engaging students across IU campuses, Indiana AHEC regions, and professional conferences in meaningful conversations about addiction, recovery, and empathy.
Each year, she co-leads the Rural Health Wellness Fairs alongside colleagues from the Center for Rural Engagement, bringing preventive care and interprofessional collaboration to communities across Indiana.
Dr. Newton’s work embodies IU IPE’s mission to improve the lives of people and populations through collaboration. Her leadership shows how bringing diverse professions together transforms not just learning, but lives.