Convergence arose from a two-year study to identify a project that would have a wide impact on the quality of education at UT Southwestern. The project, focused on interprofessional education (IPE), was submitted and accepted as our Quality Enhancement Plan for reaffirmation of Accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

In the first five years, Convergence engaged students of the medical, health professions, and graduate schools in interprofessional activities focused on an annual science-of-medicine theme that featured a prominent investigator, as shown below.

With the 2011 publication of Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice, impetus for IPE shifted to its potential to improve clinical practice by enhancing safety, quality, and accessibility. Thus, Convergence and other UT Southwestern leaders agreed in 2014 to refocus IPE on elements of clinical practice. Current participants are UT Southwestern students of medicine and health professions, Texas Woman’s University, UT Arlington students of nursing, and Texas Tech University students of pharmacy.

Past Convergence Themes

• 2020-2021: Diabetes

  Interprofessional Collaborative Clinical Practice Theme – Diabetes

  Interprofessional Management of Diabetes: Patient and Panel Discuss Interdisciplinary Care for Diabetes. Hosted by the UT Southwestern Diabetes Management Program and The Parkland Health and Hospital System Global Diabetes Program.

• 2019-2020: Diabetes

  Interprofessional Collaborative Clinical Practice Theme – Diabetes

  Interprofessional Management of Diabetes: Patient and Panel Discuss Interdisciplinary Care for Diabetes. Hosted by the UT Southwestern Diabetes Management Program and The Parkland Health and Hospital System Global Diabetes Program.

• 2018-2019: Diabetes

  Interprofessional Collaborative Clinical Practice Theme – Diabetes

  Interprofessional Management of Diabetes: Patient and Panel Discuss Interdisciplinary Care for Diabetes. Hosted by the UT Southwestern Diabetes Management Program and The Parkland Health and Hospital System Global Diabetes Program.

• 2017-2018: Cancer

  Interprofessional Collaborative Clinical Practice Theme – Cancer

  Topic: Interprofessional Management of Cancer: Patient and Panel Discuss Interdisciplinary Care for a Case of Ewing’s Sarcoma. Hosted by the UT Southwestern Hematology/Oncology Clinic and The Pauline Allen Gill Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s Health.

• 2016-2017: Pain Management

  Interprofessional Collaborative Clinical Practice Theme – Pain Management

  Topic: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Pain Relief Therapies: An interprofessional panel discusses getting past opioids. Hosted by the UT Southwestern Eugene McDermott Center for Pain Management.

• 2015-2016: Aging

  Interprofessional Collaborative Clinical Practice Theme – Aging

  Topic for case study - A simulated Geriatric Care team meeting with the Coopers.

• 2013-2014: Innate Immunity

  Science of Medicine Theme – Innate Immunity

  Bruce Beutler, M.D., Theme Director, and keynote speaker Dan Kastner, M.D., Ph.D., present topic for case study – Autoinflammatory diseases.

• 2012-2013: Medical Genetics

  Science of Medicine Theme – Medical Genetics

  Helen Hobbs, M.D., Theme Director, and Harry (Hal) Dietz, M.D., keynote speaker, present topic for case study – Marfan syndrome.

• 2011-2012: Aging

  Science of Medicine Theme – Aging

  Craig Rubin, M.D., Theme Director, and keynote speaker Nir Barzilai, M.D., offer the topic for case study – Alzheimer’s disease and falls in the elderly.

• 2010-2011: Obesity and Metabolism

  Science of Medicine Theme – Obesity and Metabolism

  Jay Horton, M.D., Theme Director, and Stephen O’Rahilly, M.D., keynote speaker, present topics for case study – Obesity and fatty liver disease.

• 2009-2010: Cancer

  Science of Medicine Theme – Cancer

  Presentation on the topic by James Willson, M.D., Theme Director, and Gerard Evan, Ph.D., keynote speaker.