In her keynote address, Advancing Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice: A Declaration for a Healthier Future, Dr. Barbara Maxwell, Associate Dean & Executive Director of Indiana University’s Interprofessional Practice & Education Center, launched the Winterthur-Doha Interprofessional Declaration on behalf of Interprofessional.Global.
The Winterthur-Doha Interprofessional Declaration represents a pivotal moment in advancing interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP) globally. Building upon over a decade of international efforts following the release of the World Health Organization’s Framework for Action on Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice (WHO 2010), it serves as a local, national, and international call to advocacy and action. Calling on education and practice leaders, and policymakers across the health, social care, and public health systems, the declaration offers concrete examples of policies and actions to promote interprofessional education and collaborative practice, with the goal of ensuring optimal health and well-being for people and populations across diverse national and international settings.
The declaration emphasizes the importance of inclusivity and local leadership and reflects the collective commitment of a global community dedicated to improving healthcare and well-being for all. Members of the Policy and Global Impact Working Groups of Interprofessional.Global prepared the declaration. It was subsequently endorsed through a consensus-based review and commentary process conducted across the organization's global community, representing more than 100 countries and 11 regional networks. The declaration signifies a collective commitment to the cause of interprofessional collaborative practice and education.
At the opening ceremony of Interprofessional.Global’s All Together Better Health XI Conference, in Doha, Qatar, attended by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser of the Qatari royal family and Qatar University President Dr. Omar Mohamed Al-Ansari, the declaration was formally presented to Dr. Jim Campbell, Director of Health Workforce, of the World Health Organisation. The signed declaration will be placed into the WHO archives to formally mark this important occasion.
Interprofessional.Global is a consensus partnership-based organization of established and developing regional interprofessional education and collaborative practice networks. It supports and facilitates dialogue and information exchange between the networks, establishes relationships with other like-minded organizations, and welcomes and supports the growth and development of new networks with shared aims and values.
With a vision of better health for all through interprofessional education, practice, and research Interprofessional.Global’s mission is to serve as agents of change, providing global leadership to advocate for, collaborate on, promote, develop, and research interprofessional collaborative practice and education innovation.
Immediately following her keynote presentation of the declaration, Dr Maxwell led a workshop entitled Empowering Regional Networks to Implement the Winterthur-Doha Interprofessional Declaration to begin implementing the declaration across the global networks.
Read the Winterthur-Doha Interprofessional Declaration or learn more about Interprofessional.Global (The Global Confederation for Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice)