Comprehensive Pain Assessment Clinic (CoPAC) Receives National Recognition at 2026 NAP Forum

The Indiana University Interprofessional Practice and Education Center (IU IPE) closed out a strong week at the 2026 National Academies of Practice Annual Meeting and Forum with national recognition for one of its collaborative practice models.

During Saturday evening’s awards ceremony, the Comprehensive Pain Assessment Clinic (CoPAC) received the Creativity in Practice & Education Award, recognizing an interprofessional model that reimagines chronic pain care while creating meaningful learning opportunities for future providers.

Dr. April D. Newton, Dr. Carol Dellinger, and others accepted the award on behalf of CoPAC and the many faculty, staff, learners, and community partners who have contributed to the clinic’s continued development and impact.

Originally launched in 2019, CoPAC was built as a team-based approach to chronic pain assessment, bringing together providers, learners, and staff from multiple health and social care professions. Rather than focusing solely on opioid prescribing, the clinic addresses pain-related health concerns alongside mental health, physical health, and social factors through coordinated interprofessional care.

That model has produced measurable results. Since its launch, CoPAC has served 198 unique patients across 181 clinic afternoons. Since September 2023 alone, providers and learners have completed more than 500 patient encounters. Reported outcomes include a 16 percent decrease in average opioid use, along with improvements in pain interference, depression, emotional support, and opioid misuse risk.

Beyond patient outcomes, CoPAC continues to serve as a learning environment where students and professionals engage directly with the complexity of collaborative care in practice.

The award added another national moment to a week in which IU IPE contributed across multiple areas of the forum, including Dr. Barbara Maxwell’s keynote address, a live Stage 2 demonstration from the Interprofessional Core Curriculum, a tour of The Simulation Center, and participation in the lightning talk, “Belonging and Mattering in the Interprofessional Healthcare Workplace.” 

Together, those moments reflected IU IPE’s continued contribution to national conversations around collaborative practice, curriculum innovation, and interprofessional education.