The 2025 Interprofessional Education (IPE) Day brought vibrant energy to the Marshall Student Center on Nov. 12, drawing more than 1,200 students, faculty, and international partners together for a day focused on teamwork, communication, and solving real-world health challenges.
The School of Social Work was represented by 10 Master of Social Work (MSW) students who joined peers from medicine, public health, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, and other health programs to develop rapid, innovative proposals addressing pressing health concerns. Teams tackled topics such as substance use disorder, diabetes and food insecurity, disaster preparedness, and health misinformation.
Vicki Lynn, PhD, MSW, MPH, helped facilitate the student teams during the competition, along with Lianna Hernandez, MSW, and Khalilah Louis-Caines, PhD, LCSW. Lynn said, "It was inspiring to see our students confidently bring the social work perspective into these interprofessional conversations."
Attendees at the 2025 Interprofessional Education Day.
Lynn also shared that the students "emphasized community voice, culturally responsive practice, and the role of social determinants in shaping health outcomes. Their contributions reflected the strengths of our program: deep critical thinking, strong ethical grounding, and an ability to collaborate across systems."
One of the MSW students, Naomi Presnall-Shvorin, was a member of the winning team. Her team focused on diabetes and food insecurity in Tampa's University Area Community, proposing a collaborative plan to examine current care practices, assess to nutritious food, and implement tailored education and support for adults living with Type 2 diabetes.
Lynn added, "Naomi’s participation on the championship team really highlights the vital role social workers play in integrated care settings and the impact our students can make when working across disciplines.”
IPE Day continues to reinforce the essential role of social work within integrated care. Events like this prepare graduates to work effectively on interdisciplinary teams—something increasingly expected across health and behavioral health settings. The international partnership with the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) also highlighted the value of cross-cultural collaboration in addressing issues that affect communities worldwide.
This year marked an important milestone for USF: for the first time, the event was co-facilitated with UNAM, adding a meaningful global dimension to the learning experience. The collaboration highlighted how health and social issues cross borders and how shared learning can strengthen practice across professions.