Description/Overview: Although innovation is typically viewed by healthcare and academic institutions, business leaders, entrepreneurs and private corporations as necessary for continuous improvement, high-quality care and scientific advancement, barriers in creating and sustaining innovative academic environments abound and require effective leadership to overcome them. Therefore, the purpose of this symposium is to describe the major barriers and facilitators to innovation in colleges of nursing and health professions along with key strategies for creating a culture of innovation in these academic environments. The symposium will highlight successful outcomes of innovations launched by one College who established innovation as a top priority in its 2005 strategic plan.

Learner Objective #1: Describe barriers and facilitators to innovation in academic settings.

Learner Objective #2: Discuss key strategies for building a culture of innovation, and describe examples of successful innovations in one college where innovation is central to its mission.