Melissa
Craft,
PhD, RN, AOCN
Interim Senior Associate Dean
OUHSC
Melissa Craft PhD ARPN-CNS AOCN is an Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist and Associate Professor, Interim Senior Associate Dean at the OUHSC College of Nursing. She is active in interprofessional education as well as professional and community service. She has been working with the Interprofessional Educators and Practitioner's Association (IEPA) at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center since 2012. Her work with the IEPA includes Co-chair of the research committee. Dr. Craft's research focuses on reflective practice and its influence on professional development. She is the recipient of the Oklahoma Nurses Association’s Excellence in Nursing: APRN Education Award, the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists’ Brenda Lyons Leadership Award, and the Inaugural Chair of the Clinical Nurse Specialist Institute. Her life-long work centers on enhancing care for oncology patients and optimizing professional opportunities for nurses.
Presenting at the Nexus Summit:
The success of our programming has been tied to the support of our institutional leadership. As a comprehensive academic health center with almost thirty participating programs, reliance on grassroots programming led by IPE champions was not sustainable. It was only with the support of our Chief Academic Officer that our interprofessional programming significantly matured. Improvements seen include establishment of the Office of Interdisciplinary Programs under the Vice Provost, access to funding through the establishment of a mandatory fee, and appointment of staff FTE in addition to faculty…