Project Charter
Title: Develop and Submit a Proposal for an Interprofessional Certificate in Healthcare Quality Improvement
Team: Dr. Diane Brannon (Advisor): Carolyn Higgins, Daniel Kestranek, and Jennifer O’Hora
Goals and Objectives
Our team aims to develop a twelve-credit program for interprofessional education in healthcare quality improvement
through which students can obtain a certificate of completion from The Pennsylvania State University. Because the
certificate program could be potentially beneficial to undergraduate students as well as graduate students, we will
endeavor to design the program to be applicable to both groups. We will submit the certificate program for approval to
the university prior to the 2012 CIHDS workshop.
Major tasks and Timeline
Our team will develop a list of courses, potentially including both existing courses and proposals for new courses,
which will qualify for the certificate program. Each student on the team is responsible for reviewing options for the
curriculum among existing courses at the university and programs offered through other universities or independent
organizations applicable to training individuals in quality improvement methodology. The students will provide a
summary of their curriculum suggestions to the team on Wednesday, November 30, 2011.
We will consult with the CTSI interprofessional educational domain leaders to prevent any unnecessary duplication.
Dr. Brannon will clarify the procedures for certificate approval at the undergraduate and graduate level. She will
identify important dates for the university’s review of our certificate program proposal and report back to the team by
the end of December 2011.
The team will make the final determination of curriculum by Friday, January 27, 2012. We will write a proposal for
the certificate program by Friday, February 24 and submit it to the Graduate Council prior to the CIHDS workshop in
March 2012. However, university review dates of program proposals could impact this timeline.
Anticipated Results
We expect to have designed the certificate program and submitted a proposal for its approval to the university prior to
the CIHDS workshop. Undergraduate and graduate students in Health Policy and Administration, Industrial
Engineering, Information Sciences and Technology, Medicine, and Nursing will be eligible for participation in the
certificate program. Potentially students in other departments, such as Nutrition and Kinesiology, may enroll in and
benefit from the program. The program will provide training and development in healthcare quality improvement
methodology that will be applicable in the industry setting and as well as foster research across disciplines.
Contacting the team via email:
Dr. Diane Brannon – [email protected]
Professor of Health Policy and Administration
Carolyn Higgins – [email protected]
BS expected May 2012 Nursing
Daniel Kestranek - [email protected]
Jennifer O’Hora – [email protected]
PhD expected May 2015
Information Sciences and Technology
PhD expected May 2013
Health Policy and Administration
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