Dan
Ferguson,
M.S.
Director
Yakima Valley College
WA State Allied Health Center of Excellence
Dan Ferguson has over thirty years of experience in higher education, non-profit management, health care and human services. He has a real interest in organizational culture and change management. In Dan’s current role as the Director of the Washington State Allied Health Center of Excellence, he is working to assist the community college system in increasing its capacity to be responsive to the health workforce needs of the health care industry and to the communities that they mutually serve. On a personal note, Dan has lived in Washington state for over 20 years, loves international travel, particularly to Taiwan (ask him why) and is an avid tennis player.
Presenting at the Nexus Summit:
The US health professions education community is reexamining its strategies to build an interprofessional health care workforce that is diverse, representative, and effective. Long-held strategies of Affirmative Action, while limited in their own right, must adjust in light of the June 2023 Supreme Court decision finding some examples unconstitutional. As institutions reassess, some have found potential partners in close proximity - local community and technical colleges with STEM and health professions programs.
Community and technical colleges often reflect the diversity of their…
Seminar Description: Proponents of interprofessional education and practice have great opportunity to think beyond the traditional health care team by considering the wide variety of health and social care professionals who serve our communities in their unique and distinct ways. For example, graduates of health-related programs from community colleges provide many of these essential services; yet, they are frequently missing from interprofessional discussions.
When these professions are not included in important conversations about health and social care services, then how inclusive is…