Jack Pickering, Ph.D., Professor of CSD
Provisions, College of Saint Rose
October 23, 2012


With thanks to Erin R. Embry, M.S.,
Associate Director, Graduate Program, New York University
collaboration (kəˌlæbəˈreɪʃən)
— n (often foll by on, with,
etc )
1. the act of working with
another or others on a joint
project
2. something created by
working jointly with an other
or others
World English Dictionary
 They
are becoming the new societal norm in light
of advances in technology, global learning and
economic challenges
 They mirror the real world, in both medical and
educational settings
 Research in health care suggests they enhance
patient care
 They broaden students’ understanding and
experience
 They provide opportunities for interdisciplinary
scholarship
Effective assessment and
intervention in SLP are:
o Contextualized
o Functional
o Person-centered
o Collaborative
o Interdisciplinary
Ylvisaker, M. & Feeney, T. (1998)
Collaborative Brain Injury Intervention: Positive Everyday Routines.
Exceptional teams:
 Learn from one another;
share skills
 Do not function in a pecking
order or a sense of
hierarchy.
 Understand that many of
the critical needs of the
people we serve are not
discipline-specific
 Are willing to blur
professional boundaries and
respect one another
 Strober
(2011):
o Higher education tends to
reward individual,
disciplinary achievement
o There tends to be
insufficient funding
o Talking across disciplines
can be difficult
o Interdisciplinary
collaboration is difficult to
evaluate
 Education
in CSD:
o Programs are
generally organized
in silos
o Coursework tends to
be disorder-specific
o Clinical and
academic education
are separated in the
curriculum


Student-practitioners
learning together with
intention, mutual respect,
and commitment; IPE
requires continuous
interaction, coordinated
effort and sharing of
knowledge – “enhanced
collaboration”.*
Consistent with Ylvisaker’s
characteristics of an
exceptional team.
*Alberto, J. & Herth, K. (2009, March 31) and ASHA (2008, June)
 Nurse
Education (Alberto
& Herth, 2009)
 Physician Education
(MMC-Tufts; Harvard
Medical School)
 In CSD, the Rockcastle
Project (Page, 2010;
Page & Morris, 2012):
Competency Domains
 Values/Ethics
for
Interprofessional
Practice
 Roles/Responsibilities
 Interprofessional
Communication
 Teams and Teamwork
A course that promotes
interdisciplinary,
collaborative
approaches to care
 Focus narrowed to
swallowing issues and
impacts on nutrition
 Team approach
fostered in classroom,
lab and hospital setting
 Students are from CSD
and Nutrition programs





Small number in class +
application process results in
a very dynamic, motivated
group
Modeled after problem-based
learning approach; instructors
serve as “facilitators”
Assignments/projects
functional, applicable and fun
Diverse backgrounds, one
common vision

Exposure to real-world experiences
through:
o Observation of modified barium swallow
studies at NYU Langone Medical Center
(supervised by NYUMC speech-language
pathologists)
o Active participation in a mock "team
rounds" with resident and attending
physicians at Rusk Institute (Physical
Medicine & Rehabilitation)

“Top Chef/Iron Chef”
Cooking competition:
o Students create a dysphagia
meal individualized to their
patients’ needs
o Judged on appearance,
creativity, nutritional and
texture appropriateness and
taste



Idea supported by students,
department, administration
and affiliated medical
community
This course serves as a
model for other developing
courses in Steinhardt and the
medical school
Open lines of communication
related to this course have
had direct and positive
impacts on patient care
services at NYUMC/Rusk
A program providing clinical
services for individuals in the
transgender community
 An initial focus on voice was
expanded to include
communication and
counseling
 Group supervision promotes
active dialogue about the
program, not just student
performance





A team approach is fostered with
opportunities for collaborative
decision making
An apprenticeship model is
applied: supervisors, counselors,
and clients serve as coaches,
“master craftspeople”
Goals are functional and
individualized, even in the group
setting
Mindfulness is integrated into the
sessions
Classroom presentations
(Counseling for SLPs and
Multicultural Counseling)
provide opportunities for
practice and client-led
instruction
 Recent project provided an
interdisciplinary focus on
counseling skills for SLPs
 A student in Multicultural
Counseling takes part in the
group

The program has support
from students, faculty,
administrators and mental
health counselors (our
primary referral source)
 The program facilitated
community engagement
with the local LGBTQ
community center
 The group has become an
important recruiting tool

An SLP-ENT collaboration:
Facilitated by a .3 FTE
consulting position in an
otolaryngology private
practice
 Two laryngologists and a
neurotologist actively
support student learning

The SLP roles include laryngeal vidoestroboscopy, voice
evaluation and intervention, with a recent addition of
dysphagia services to the practice
Multiple learning opportunities:
Collaborative, interdisciplinary
classroom case presentations
 Student observations of
videostroboscopy
 A one-credit, advanced “rotation”
with the ENTs
 Research

A nice bonus: One
of the ENTs is a
member of our CSD
Advisory Board





Do a careful environmental
scan (internal and external)
to see what is available
Find a colleague with whom
you can work
Identify a shared vision and
tap into individual strengths
Consider the Core
Competencies document
Plan Carefully




Engage constituents
(students, colleagues,
professionals, clients) in
planning and evaluation
Get administrative support
Seek funding, consider
grant opportunities
Share what you are doing:
o Internally & externally
o Through public relations
& scholarship
 “…collaborative
efforts…,
result in a clearer vision of
the seamless realities
presented daily in our
clinical lives and an
enhanced capacity to
serve whole individuals as
they deserve to be
served.”
Mark Ylvisaker, 1994
Alberto, J. & Herth, K. (2009, March 31). Interprofessional collaboration within faculty roles:
Teaching, service and research. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 14(2).
ASHA (2008, June). Why is greater emphasis being placed on interprofessional education in health
care? Access Academics and Research. Retrieved July 20, 2011, from
http://www.asha.org/academics/questions/Interprefessional-Education.htm.
ASHA’s Research and Scientific Affairs Committee (n.d.). Interdisciplinary collaborations. Retrieved
July 2, 2011, from http://www.asha.org/academic/interdis-collab/.
Durkin, T. & Vescovich, M. (November, 2011). The SLP: A valued member of the hospice
interdisciplinary team. Paper presented at the 2011 Annual ASHA Convention, San Diego, CA.
Hagstrom, F. (2010). Establishing Interdisciplinary Collaborations for International Education. SIG 10
Perspectives, 13(1), p. 13-17.
Harvard Medical School (n.d.). Academics: Cambridge Integrated Clerkship. Cambridge Health
Alliance. Retrieved on July 19, 2011, from
http://www.challiance.org/academics/integrated_clerkship.shtml
Huff, E.G. (2009, November). Incorporating Medical Setting Interdisciplinary Experiences into a
Graduate SLP Program, Paper presented at 2009 Annual ASHA Convention, New Orleans LA.
International Brain Injury Association. (2007). On Neurorehabilitation: A Conversation with Mark
Ylvisaker, PhD., Retrieved June 16, 2011, from http://www.internationalbrain.org/?q=node/71.
Interprofessional Education Collaborative Expert Panel. (2011). Core competencies for
interprofessional collaborative practice: Report of an expert panel. Washington, D.C.:
Interprofessional Education Collaborative.
John-Steiner, V. (2006). Creative Collaboration. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
MMC/Tufts Medical School (n.d.). Milestone: About us. Maine Medical Center/Maine Health.
Retrieved July 19, 2011 from http://www.mmc.org/mmc_milestone.cfm?id=6239.
Page, J.L. (2010, June). The Rockcastle Project: A Model for Interprofessional Clinical Education in a
Rural Medical Center. Access Academics and Research. Retrieved July 20, 2011, from
http://www.asha.org/academics/questions/rockcastle-project.htm.
Page, J. L. & Morris, D. S. (2012, May 15). Whole Patient, Whole Team. The ASHA Leader.
Perry, C., Hall, B., & Tiongco, C. (November, 2011). Interdisciplinary teamwork: Making IT work. Paper
presented at the 2011 Annual ASHA Convention, San Diego, CA.
Pickering, J. Bloom, C., Luna, A., & Selmon, S. (November, 2011). The clinician-counselor with
transgender clients: An instructional video. 2011 ASHA Annual Convention, San Diego, CA.
Stemple, J.C. (2006). Personnel Shortages in Speech Language Pathology: Doctoral Collaborations.
Retrieved June 16, 2011, from www.asha.org/uploadedFiles/slp/Stemple.pdf.
Strober, M.H. (2011, January 2). Communicating across the academic divide. The Chronicle of Higher
Education. Retrieved June 16, 2011 from http://chronicle.com/article/Communicating-Acrossthe/125769/.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Published originally in Russian in 1930.
Weinstein, D. (2011, February 14). Students prepare for your final class! The Iron Chef challenge:
NYU Steinhart News. Retrieved from
http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/ataglance/2011/02/students_prepare_for_your_fina.html.
Wertheimer, J., Constantinidou, F., Raymer, A., Turkstra, L., & Paul, D. (2008, November). Promoting
Effective Interdisciplinary Collaboration. Paper presented at the 2008 Annual ASHA Convention,
Chicago, IL.
Williams, L., Marks, L., Barnhart, R., & Epps, S. (2011, November). ICF-CY: Basis for a conceptual
model for interprofessional education. Paper presented at the 2011 Annual ASHA Convention,
San Diego, CA.
World Health Organization (2010). Framework for Action on Interprofessional Education and
Collaborative Practice. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization Press.
Ylvisaker, M. (1994). Collaboration in assessment and intervention after TBI. Topics in Language
Disorders, 15(1),
Ylvisaker, M. & Feeney, T. (1998). Collaborative Brain Injury Intervention: Positive Everyday Routines.
San Diego: Singular Publishing, Inc.