Student Group Practices Interprofessional Skills

From migraines to spinal cord injuries, the Interprofessional Healthcare Forum is a volunteer student organization with a mission to enhance their knowledge and improve patient care.

When Dr. Stephen Cina started teaching at New England School of Acupuncture (NESA), he thought his focus would solely be on future acupuncturists. As time passed, he realized it was essential to involve other healthcare providers.

“I put interprofessional practice and education (IPE) at the forefront of what I do not only because it’s important for my profession as an acupuncturist but also for other professions,” said Dr. Cina. “It comes down to helping patients.”

Dr. Cina is creator and faculty advisor of the Interprofessional Healthcare Forum (IPHF), a student organization at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS). Its members represent every program from the Worcester and Manchester, NH campuses. They come together a few times a year to tackle health conditions they will likely see in their practice, discussing the similarities and differences between how they can treat those conditions.

“Everyone involved is supportive because they genuinely want to know more about the other programs,” said William Martin, an acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine student who is in the group. “I’m trying to be the kind of provider who might not know everything, but I know where to find everything my patients need.”

In the three years since the IPHF was created, students have covered chronic pain, Alzheimer’s disease, nasal/sinus cancer, diabetes, and, most recently, migraines. Over the summer, students created slides on how their profession can or cannot treat migraines, then presented them in a row to compare their scopes of practice.

“It was interesting to hear how well-rounded the healthcare field is when it comes to treating migraines,” said Haley Samara, DPT ’26, who explained that while physical therapists don’t diagnose migraines, they can address the musculoskeletal symptoms associated with the condition. “It’s important for us to learn what each of us brings to the table before we get into the field.”

Although any interested students can join, many IPHF members are liaisons to the group from other student organizations, including Kambrie Clinton, MSOT ’25, who got involved because she wanted to take on a leadership role with the Student Occupational Therapy Association.

“Getting more involved with IPE has helped me take what I learn in the classroom, apply it, and then share it with others,” Clinton said. “It has also helped me step out of my comfort zone and taught me how to advocate for myself and the occupational therapy field.”

Members of the IPHF choose to be involved and active so they can gain more IPE experience in addition to their program-required activities. In the summer and fall semesters, students host presentations on a topic of their choosing.

“We pick topics that we can all meaningfully contribute to,” said Samara, explaining that this semester, the group decided to research spinal cord injuries. “They often go hand-in-hand with the curriculum and help prepare us for classes.”

In the spring, they host IPE Jeopardy Night and invite any student from MCPHS. They work as a team to answer questions about anatomy, medical terminology, University fun facts, and more.

Dr. Cina created IPHF as a subdivision of the faculty IPE Working Group, giving students an extracurricular experience that was lower pressure and commitment yet beneficial to their educations.

“What I appreciate most is when students interact in these ways, I feel like I’m contributing to better healthcare,” he said. “Students are excited to learn and work within their fields, but when you put them in an interprofessional setting, they come alive.”

The students share this sentiment.

“I came to MCPHS because of the IPE opportunities,” Martin said. “We’ve learned so much about the other professions, adding to our toolboxes to make informed clinical decisions for our patients.”