The Knowledge Exchange (KE) series seeks to fill gaps in topics not typically found in traditional health curriculum, underscoring social determinants of health and the voices of people with lived experience. In our lightening talk we will provide background on how KEs originated, the faculty buy-in they now receive, and the ways in which they successfully expose students from across professions to each other’s knowledge and expertise. To illustrate the KE model, we will describe an event that explored the critical intersection of oral health and recovery from substance use disorder (SUD), emphasizing the roles of interprofessional education (IPE), insider knowledge, and community engagement in improving health outcomes. The lightening talk will be presented by individuals with lived experience, faculty, and university professional staff. Lived experience is paired with interprofessional harm reduction strategies that position oral health as a vital component of recovery.
This presentation directly addresses the Summit’s theme of enhancing health outcomes through interprofessional collaboration by demonstrating how experiential, community-informed learning fosters teamwork and communication competencies. The KE model is intentionally designed to align with curricular goals for future practice (El-Awaisi et al., 2016), beginning with early exposure to new content and learning approaches (Kolb, 1984). By integrating IPEC sub-competencies and cultural humility into the curriculum, the session prepares learners to navigate complex, real-world challenges through collaborative, person-centered care.
The session fulfills the priority criteria of Person, Family, and Community-Engaged Practice and Education. Individuals in recovery co-create the learning experience, offering ethical, community-engaged education that centers lived experience as expertise. The KE format includes facilitated small-group discussions where students reflect, respond, and debrief in interprofessional teams—deepening their understanding of systemic barriers and collaborative solutions.
This scalable, virtual educational model supports curricular goals across disciplines and in the session under discussion, highlights how oral health disparities exacerbate recovery challenges. The model also demonstrates how interprofessional teams—including community advocates such as peer recovery coaches and patient navigators—can intervene effectively to support recovery.
The KE model equips future providers with the skills and perspectives needed to deliver compassionate, collaborative care that addresses the full spectrum of patient needs.
Lightning Talk
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 1:15 pm - 2:15 pm CDT
Keywords:
community-basedexperientialrecovery-oriented