Wendy
McCloud,
MA
Instructor
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Wendy McCloud, MA, is an accomplished educator and interprofessional education (IPE) specialist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), where she develops and implements curriculum, engages in research, and contributes to faculty development. With additional appointments at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Excelsior University, she has extensive experience teaching undergraduate and graduate students in writing and technical communication. A recognized leader in IPE, she has facilitated numerous workshops, published creative and scholarly works, served on national and state-level professional organizations, and contributed to funded research initiatives. A U.S. Air Force veteran and award-winning writer, Wendy is committed to advancing health education, wellness, and collaborative practice through innovative teaching, scholarship, and community service.
Presenting at the Nexus Summit:
Background: Food insecurity (FI) is a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle. In 2023, 13.5% of U.S. households met criteria for FI. Arkansas ranks worst at 18.9%. Assistance benefits provide $2.06/person/meal, but the average meal costs $3.55/person. Aside from economics, many individuals in rural areas experience FI due to living in food deserts with limited access to affordable, nutritious food. Healthcare providers are often unaware of patients’/families’ FI, and evidence-based recommendations (DASH, Mediterranean diet) can seem overwhelming for FI…
Introduction:Faculty development in academic health centers often relies on structured workshops and didactic formats, which can limit engagement and cross-disciplinary dialogue. To create a more dynamic, reflective, and community-building experience, our institution launched Faculty Movie Night in 2018—a quarterly series using public health-themed films as a springboard for continuing education, networking, and interprofessional discussion.Method:Held quarterly on Monday evenings at a local movie theater during its off-peak hours, each Faculty Movie Night features a documentary or fiction…
One Health is a collaborative, transdisciplinary approach to achieving optimal health outcomes that recognizes the interconnectedness of humans, animals, plants, and the environment. One Health initiatives expand considerations for interprofessional teams beyond traditional health system professions to include practice sites such as veterinarians, climatologists, and environmental biologists. The One Health approach is important to understanding how global health is affected by issues like zoonotic diseases and climate-related health threats. These animal and environmental factors have direct…
Introduction:Despite the widespread endorsement of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competencies and broad implementation of trainee-focused events, structured opportunities for the current healthcare workforce to deepen interprofessional skills are limited. To address this gap, our academic health center developed the Learning and Education in Group Opportunities (LEGO)—a monthly interprofessional seminar series designed to reinforce and apply IPEC competencies in real-world academic and clinical settings.Methods:The LEGO series is centrally coordinated and delivered in-…