Meeting Demand in Minnesota and Beyond

In nearly every health care profession, higher-than-usual levels of providers are reporting plans to leave their field within the next five years. This includes alarming workforce losses in Minnesota’s small towns and rural areas, with job vacancies greater than at pre-pandemic levels.

As recruiting and training health care professionals is our mission and responsibility, we have the opportunity to be a part of the solution. Increased recruiting efforts are well under way with a number of new partnerships and pipeline programs designed to identify health care talent and ensure a more diverse workforce. A few examples include:

• The School of Nursing’s collaboration with St. Cloud State has developed a new pathway to Doctor of Nursing Practice degree that focuses on underserved communities and meeting the state’s workforce needs.
• The School of Public Health’s partnership with AmeriCorps on the program Minnesota Public Health Corps aims to increase immediate capacity within the public health field and create a diverse pipeline of future public health professionals.
• The College of Pharmacy’s new Early Assurance Program provides an opportunity for UMN undergraduate students to gain early admission to the PharmD program.
• The School of Dentistry's BSDH/MDT Dual Degree program was developed to better meet the needs of oral health care providers and patients in the state.
• NXT GEN MED accelerates learning approaches for students pursuing health care careers.

We are also expanding clinical training opportunities, especially in rural areas. This past year, over 400 learners from eight professions and across Minnesota engaged in a first-of-its-kind, virtual interprofessional course during their clinical rotations. They developed peer relationships, advanced their professional identities, explored the impact of teamwork on patients and families, learned about others' roles and responsibilities in practice, and consulted with each other on real-time clinical cases. This is a key step toward building a collaborative practice-ready workforce to serve our communities.

Our impact on our state’s health can be seen in the fact that, in 2022 alone, our health sciences schools and programs graduated 1,465 students in all areas of health care, community wellness, and research.

Thanks to everyone for the incredible work training Minnesota's next generation of health care professionals.

Driving Innovation & Discovery

Now Accepting Applications: Northern LITeS, an Executive Training Opportunity for Faculty and Administrative Leaders

Northern LITeS is an annual structured year-long leadership training experience for senior or advanced mid-career faculty and academic leaders involved in clinical or translational research or with responsibilities related to academic administration or education and training programs in which clinical or translational research is involved. Apply by June 10.

Advancing Interprofessional Education & Training

Join the 1Health Interprofessional Education Program as a Featured Guest Health Professional

“Better Together: Preparing for Collaborative Practice” brings together over 1,200 students from 23 health professional programs to introduce them to the principles of working collaboratively. We are looking for a variety of health professionals to share your professional perspective and experience with collaborative practice with two small groups of students.

Health Profession Pathways Program Prepares Students for Future Health Careers
 
Eighteen first-year undergraduate students with an interest in health careers, and who come from communities historically underrepresented, recently completed a capstone experience working with standardized patients and performing technical simulations at M Simulation as part of their participation in the Health Profession Pathways program. The Pathways program supports students as they develop into future leaders in health professional careers. Students have unique opportunities for networking, volunteering, and shadowing. They also receive regular coaching from the Pre-Health Student Resource Center on a variety of topics, including academic progress, navigating University resources, and building pre-health related experiences.

Research on Needs of LGBTQ Older Adults Reveals Progress Over the Past 30 Years

While Minnesota is generally seen as a great place to age and live well, not all communities experience the same level of support. One such group is LGBTQ older adults, who came into adulthood at a very different time in the U.S. than today’s young adults and have unique experiences and needs as they age. To gain insight into these experiences, the University’s Northstar Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program and Rainbow Health conducted research for the 2022 LGBTQ Aging Needs Assessment.

Partnering with Communities

U of M Receives $18.8M Grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust to Provide AEDs Across Minnesota

Youth-Led Solutions for Teen Parents and Parents-To-Be Experiencing Homelessness

A youth shelter and University of Minnesota researchers teamed up to address the unmet needs of pregnant or parenting teens who are facing homelessness. This vulnerable group often slips through the cracks of social services, finding themselves both ineligible for shelter and with few health care resources to meet their unique needs.

U-Wide Events & Opportunities

Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain’s Name the Robot Contest

Help MIDB names its new TMS Robot, which is one of only a handful in the U.S. and 1 of 40 in the world. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a painless, non-invasive technique used to stimulate the brain. MIDB researchers are evaluating the use of TMS as a new treatment for children and teens with conditions like Tourette syndrome, OCD, depression, autism, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Robot name submissions are being accepted throughout June 2022.

University of Minnesota Juneteenth Celebration

The University of Minnesota will host its inaugural Juneteenth Celebration block party and commemorative march in North Minneapolis on Saturday, June 18. This free event – centering on the theme of Was. Is. Will Be: Black Past, Black Present, Black Future – will feature Black vendors, speakers, teach-ins, storytellers, musicians, performers, DJs, roller skating, books, free food, free haircuts, mural and art-making, and more. The commemorative march will begin at noon at Willard Park and end at the University’s Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center, where the outdoor block party will take place.

From Ageism to Age-Friendly: Shifting the Conversation About Aging

Liver Transplantation: The Ultimate Team Sport in Surgery

Join the June 15 M Health Fairview System Grand Rounds presentation led by Srinath Chinnakotla, MD, MBA, professor of surgery and M Health Fairview Surgical Director of Liver Transplantation.