IPE Day 2024 addresses nutrition, food insecurity, community health

ipe day full group

In the U.S., more than 13 percent of households suffer from food insecurity at some
point during the year, forcing many families to skip meals or go without eating. Others
live in food deserts or possess diets with poor nutrition, leading to greater levels
of illness and reduced health outcomes.

These pressing challenges were among the topics headlining USF Health’s seventh Interprofessional
Education (IPE) Day, an annual event where interdisciplinary health experts from across
the country join USF students, staff and faculty to explore the various ways social
determinants can impact a community’s health.

This year’s IPE Day showcased a lineup of internationally renowned scientists and
researchers as well as a team-based competition to demonstrate how professionals from
all backgrounds can work together to address issues of food insecurity, access to
nutritious foods and culinary medicine.

In his opening remarks, Haru Okuda, MD, FACEP, FSSH, executive director of the Center
for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation and associate vice president of the Office
of Interprofessional Education and Practice, emphasized the importance of collaborative
teams to achieving positive patient outcomes.

“The complexities of modern health care require a new way of thinking – a way of
thinking that emphasizes teamwork, communication and mutual respect among all health
care workers,” Dr. Okuda said.

ipe day speakers

Speakers from the morning sessions included health professors from Harvard University,
the University of Chicago and George Washington University, as well as an Emmy Award-winning
journalist and vegetarian cookbook author, a president of a national nutrition academy
and a social media influencer. With their unique perspectives, they discussed the
effects of food scarcity and living with food insecurity as well as the social determinants
that can lead to malnutrition and how to build nutrition plans with limited resources.

Bryan Bognar, MD, MPH, FACP, vice dean of the MCOM Department of Medical Education
and chair of this year’s event, highlighted the relation of nutrition and food access
to achieving positive health outcomes and exhorted attendees to apply the lessons
they learned in their communities.

“We know in our hearts and do appreciate that health eating habits are essential to
preventing and managing chronic illnesses. This is something we must address in a
meaningful and practical way,” said Dr. Bognar. “As community members and health care
providers, educating ourselves more about nutrition is one important step. Teaching
our students is another. But preparing and empowering all of us to educate others
is our key goal and it’s one that will have a lasting impact.”

Following the morning sessions, students from across several USF colleges assembled
at the Portico Café for a competition described as “IPE Day meets iron chef,” where
students were divided into nine interprofessional teams with a dietary consultant
and faculty member serving as group facilitator. Students were assigned one of three
roles within their teams: chef, PowerPoint presenters and menu developers.

ipe day cooking

The menu developers had to carefully study the social determinants and physical co-morbidities
that would help guide them as they build their recommendations for recipes. The team
chefs took that information and prepared a meal to be judged on taste and presentation.
Meanwhile, the PowerPoint presenters prepared a concise brief on their patient that
included background information, social determinants, recommendations on recipes and
resources for where to find the necessary ingredients.

After a hard-fought competition, Team 1 was named the IPE Day 2024 champions for presenting
the case of a 45-year-old mother of two diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and hypoglycemia
and who frequently runs out of food. The winning team set three specific goals for
their case study: stabilize her blood sugar, inform her of locations where she can
access affordable food and create simple, kid-friendly, low-cost recipes.

Keri Allen, a second-year medical student and PowerPoint presenter for team 1, said
that she cherished the opportunity to expand her knowledge of disparities in health
care and valued the time with students from other fields.

“I’ve had a basic understanding that nutrition is a key factor in someone’s health,
but did not fully appreciate how social determinants play a crucial part in access
to nutritious foods for certain populations,” said Allen. “As physicians, we are always
lifelong learners and today was a great example of that. Being humble and staying
true to the oath will drive us to always be better and provide more comprehensive
and culturally competent care for our patients.”

ipe day team one