Collaboration Insights

Collaboration Insights: A Health Professions Blog for Effective Collaboration is a blog created for students, faculty, and alumni by interprofessional student interns. It is a hub for information on interprofessional education and collaboration: related skill-building, research, professional spotlights, and podcasts.


Several hands of diverse skin tones stacked on top of one another, symbolizing interprofessional unity

Competence Equals Resilience: Interprofessional Competency as a Strategy for Building Team Resilience

What comes to mind when you hear the word “resilience”? Resiliency is often referenced as an individual quality. However, resilience is a spectrum beyond self care and wellness apps. It can be used to describe a collective group.


Multicultural medical team wearing scrubs walking along corridor in modern hospital

Learning Over Blaming: A Better Approach to Accountability in a Healthcare Setting

How can teams hold each other accountable when mistakes are made? Prioritizing a safe environment that balances blame with faultlessness can foster teams who share responsibility of individual and organizational mistakes. You can start by asking WHAT is responsible, not WHO is responsible.


Diverse healthcare professionals on a world map

From Competence to Connection: Cultivating Cultural Humility in Interprofessional Teams

Have you ever finished a patient encounter feeling like something is missing? Sometimes, a patient may appear hesitant, refuse a recommendation, or approach their health differently than we expect. Pause. This is where cultural humility begins.


jigsaw puzzle pieces being joined to show teamwork and togetherness

Addiction, Inequality, and the Systems That Shape Recovery

Addiction is shaped by the environments people live in, the opportunities available to them, and the systems that support or neglect their wellbeing. With an interprofessional approach, care can address not only physical withdrawal, but also mental health, housing insecurity, and family healing.


Group of business partners discussing ideas in an office setting

How Can We Ensure Team Members are Validated and Heard in a Healthcare Setting?

In healthcare, interprofessional teams are composed of many different professionals and support members with different backgrounds and expertise. The work tends to be fast-paced, hierarchical, and emotionally demanding, making communication a central factor to success.


A person in a suit speaking to two healthcare professionals

Being Adaptable Can Save Lives

Promoting adaptable approaches requires intentional effort. Adaptability is a vital skill in interprofessional settings. It strengthens collaboration, enhances learning, and helps teams respond effectively to real-world challenges. It could also save a life.


A person extends a plate of food across a dining table set with assorted dishes

Breaking Bread, Building Trust: Culture and Collaboration in Healthcare

Minnesota’s healthcare landscape is shaped by a tapestry of languages, histories, and cultures, from the Somali and Hmong communities of the Twin Cities to the Native nations, Latino, and immigrant families across the state. Yet, for many patients, the “language of medicine” often feels foreign...


Person surrounded by symbols to indicate person-centered care principles

Aligning Care With Values: The Core Practices of Person-Centered Care

Have you ever walked out of your health appointment and  wished the healthcare team saw you and not just your symptoms? Person-centered care (PCC) is an evidence-based practice that involves patients as active partners in their own care.


A group of volleyball players huddled together in a circle with their arms around each other smiling looking down at the camera

Serving Together: Lessons in Team Leadership from the Volleyball Court to the Clinic

Just as a captain unites a team of different players toward a shared goal, a healthcare leader must bring together diverse professionals to deliver optimal patient care. Leadership, in both contexts, is not about dominance—it’s about coordination, connection, and cultivating a culture of shared success.


Health professional holding the hand of a patient.

Why Icebreakers Fall Flat (and How to Build Belonging Instead)

Have you ever joined a new team, shared your favorite ice cream flavor, and still walked away feeling like no one really knew you? Becoming part of a new team isn’t just about learning names...