Celebrating Excellence: Binghamton pharmacy professors win Provost’s Award

For a third year in a row, a faculty member from Binghamton University's School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has won the Provost's Award for Excellence in Interprofessional Education. The award recognizes an individual whose efforts have made a significant and sustained impact on interprofessional education (IPE) at Binghamton University.

Emily Leppien, a clinical associate professor at the school, is the 2024 winner.

"I was incredibly honored and grateful to be selected for this award," Leppien said. "It honestly feels really good to have your hard work recognized, even if it's just a simple 'Hey, good job.' Having people take time out of their day to write letters on my behalf is incredibly humbling. It motivates me to continue doing good work and think about how I can keep improving interprofessional education for our students."

To win the award, nominees must submit a self-statement, receive a nomination letter and secure letters of support from colleagues, students or community partners highlighting their dedication to interprofessional education. The final decision is made by Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Donald E. Hall based on the recommendation of a University committee.

Erin Pauling, the assistant dean for academic affairs and clinical associate professor of pharmacy practice, was the 2023 winner. She expressed a deep gratitude to all who wrote letters of recommendation on her behalf.

"Thank you to those who have supported me in my interprofessional education efforts at Binghamton University," she said. "Your words were humbling and caused me to continue to find ways to better the IPE we provide for students in pharmacy and other programs at the University. It was especially meaningful to have the support of a student turned colleague in my nomination."

IPE is a major focus and passion for Leppien and Pauling. The idea brings students from different health-related programs together and exposes them to different ways of thinking about healthcare and patient health. The hope is that when these students graduate and step into the professional world, they'll already know how to work collaboratively across disciplines to provide patient care.

"One healthcare profession alone is not going to save the world," Leppien said. "By working together, you achieve much better patient outcomes because everyone brings something unique to the table. Medicine, nursing, pharmacy-we all have different areas of expertise. By putting that together, we can improve care for individual patients, large populations and even public health as a whole."

When it comes to teaching her students, Pauling instills the idea of being curious and asking questions.

"I always tell them, 'Don't be afraid to ask questions!'" she said. "In fact, one of the first questions I asked when interviewing at SOPPS was the school's plan for IPE. At that time, I could not have imagined the impact of this simple question."

After starting at Binghamton in 2016, Pauling quickly began collaborating with interprofessional colleagues to develop a course, Foundations of Interprofessional Communication.

"It covers a wide range of topics," she said. "Interprofessional approach to practice/teamwork, social determinants of health, patient-centered care and poverty. We even have a partnership with the Food Bank of the Southern Tier."

Since spring 2018, the course has been delivered six times by 10 different faculty members across four disciplines.

Leppien shared her thanks to all who have supported her on her journey thus far: "It's truly humbling to see the dedication of my colleagues and collaborators. This recognition isn't just about me - it's about the collective effort of everyone at the School of Pharmacy and our partners. Together, we're building something impactful for our students and the future of healthcare."