Dr. Brian Shulman, dean of the School of Health and Medical Sciences, was elected to the Distinguished Fellowship of the National Academies of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology. The fellowship recognizes notable leaders in the speech-language pathology profession. Shulman’s national recognition was conferred by the National Academies of Practice (NAP), a non-profit organization that advises governmental bodies on the United States’ healthcare system. The award recognizes individuals who champion interprofessional practices in healthcare. According to Shulman, he was nominated for the award and then submitted a detailed application documenting his accomplishments in speech-language pathology, and more importantly, in interprofessional education. Interprofessional education, as described by Shulman, is a program where students from one or more profession learn each other’s fields. Its function is to provide a totality of care, particularly in healthcare. Shulman explained that the School of Health and Medical Sciences, the College of Nursing and the new Seton Hall/Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine will all be combined in the new Nutley/Clifton campus. “We are all going to be under one roof,” Shulman said. “We are going to try to develop a culture of interprofessionalism. You can imagine how many different professions will be represented under one roof.” Natalie Neubauer, director of clinical education and a former student of Shulman’s wrote in an email about his merit and his lasting impact on her. “Dr. Shulman’s guidance throughout the years as my professor, department chair and now as Dean of the faculty I reside, truly has had a very positive and powerful influence on my professional practices and teaching excellence,” Neubauer said. “Given his accomplishments, it is no surprise that he has been selected for the Distinguished Fellowship of the National Academies of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology.” Genevieve Zipp, a director in the department of interprofessional health sciences and administration, expressed the necessity for interprofessional care in healthcare. She wrote in an email that secondary education is designed to help health students develop the skills needed to practice their craft and learn how to be part of an effective healthcare system. “Developing and implementing interprofessional education (IPE) into existing ‘silo-based’ health science professional curricula can be challenging for academic institutions and their academic and clinical faculty but it is imperative as we seek to ensure patient-centered interprofessional practice (IPP) in today’s healthcare arena,” Zipp said. Additionally, Zipp mentioned her longstanding connection with Shulman and his innovative spirit. “I have known Dr. Shulman for over 18 years,” Neubauer said. “During this tenure he has been a true supporter of interprofessional education and practice both at the state and national level. He is respected nationally as an innovator of national and international interprofessional experiences,” Shuman stressed the importance of the entire faculty when initiating interprofessional education on campus. He hopes this approach to education will transform the way healthcare is practiced and expressed the tremendous satisfaction from receiving this award. “It means I have come full circle being a new Ph.D. many years ago, a faculty member and moving up in the ranks administratively here and in a previous institutions and then trying to provide our students with the latest and greatest and current types of practices for their profession,” Shulman said. “It is just really satisfying and gratifying to have been acknowledged nationally for the interprofessional work that I have done and of course this is not something that I have done independently. Together we are really going to try and make a national impact on how speech-language pathologists, OTs [occupational therapists], PTs [physical therapists], PAs [physician assistants], nurses and future physicians learn to work with one another.” According to the Seton Hall website, Shulman’s induction into the fellowship will happen in 2018. He will receive a NAP medal in April 2018 at the Annual Meeting and Forum. Thomas Schwartz can be reached at thomas.schwartz@student.shu.edu.
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