Learning Objective #1: Describe at least three steps required to build an interdisciplinary research team

Learning Objective #2: Discuss two strategies to effectively use the skill set and knowledge base of disciplinary partners outside nursing

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Creating a culture of interdisciplinary research is a challenge for many clinicians, educators and researchers. The nature of nursing education and most other health and human services disciplines promotes the uniqueness of the body of knowledge that makes up disciplinary scope of practice and the scientific basis for practice. In the current research and practice environment there is a need to work across traditional disciplinary roles to address both clinical and research issues. Although interdisciplinary clinical practice has been in place for many years, the concept of nurse-led interdisciplinary research teams is still evolving. This presentation will focus on the development of interdisciplinary research teams across health and human services disciplines and a college of education. The processes for creating shared ownership of the projects, developing an understanding of the scientific basis of each disciplines' practice, and strategies to create effective and complementary interdisciplinary research teams will be described. A case study will be used to explore the issues encountered and lessons learned in developing a specific proposal for a multi-level study involving a variety of constituents across health, human services, and educational disciplines and within the context of a larger community initiative that brought additional disciplines to the table. The relationship of this effort to the new NIH Roadmap will also be discussed.