Who's missing from the table?: A commentary on incorporating external and worldview diversity in interprofessional education

As the Membership Committee for the American Interprofessional Health Collaborative, we wish to assure that all voices related to the health and wellness of individuals and populations are represented among organization membership. As a committee, we have been seeking to identify: (1) missing perspectives in interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPE/CP) initiatives; (2) challenges that exist to diversify IPE/CP organizations and initiatives; and (3) most importantly, potential solutions for increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) within IPE/CP organizations and institutional endeavors. One such opportunity presented itself when our committee was invited to lead two national workshops related to this important topic. At these events, 90 attendees used a think-pair-share format, with individual and group ideas submitted via Google documents to identify (a) professions that are not currently engaged in local and/or national IPE/CP endeavors and (b) strategies for engaging these professionals. Common themes emerged across working groups that emphasized external and worldview diversity efforts, including: (a) extending targeted outreach efforts to incorporate community colleges and/or trade/technical schools, (b) intentionality with inclusivity efforts to collaborate with members of professions often underrepresented by current IPE/CP initiatives, and (c) exploring alternative financial models. By seeking and explicitly inviting members of infrequently-included professions, the field of IPE can become more diverse and better equipped to serve and treat all patients and populations. In this commentary, we build upon the themes captured by our workshops and discuss potential strategies to operationalize the ideas that were generated.