AIPEC (All Ireland Interprofessional Healthcare Challenge for students) was awarded the prize for Best Collaboration Project at the Irish Education Awards in Dublin and the final top prize for Overall Excellence! Out of over 190 submissions, this is a huge achievement and recognition of the value and importance of AIPEC.
The awards were based on the 2024 event led and hosted by Dr Paul McCague in Queen's University Belfast, with eight University student teams from across the island involved. This award is a testament to the commitment of the entire AIPEC team from Queen's University Belfast, University of Galway, University of Limerick, University College Cork, Trinity College Dublin, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, University College Dublin and Ulster Univeristy.
The judges highlighted AIPEC as an excellent example collaborative problem solving, with a well structured consortium across the Universities. The judges commended the interprofessional collaboration which is crucial for the future of healthcare and that AIPEC not only strengthens team dynamics but will contribute to improved patient outcomes.
AIPEC is an annual student intervarsity, interprofessional student team challenge for students in health and social care programmes. It has grown from strength to strength each year and is a novel and transformative collaboration, championing interprofessional education (IPE) across eight higher education institutions across the island of Ireland. The challenge prepares the next generation of healthcare professionals for the demands of modern healthcare delivery.