Joe Zorek, assistant professor (CHS) in the Pharmacy Practice Division, has received a 2016 AACP New Investigator Award to further his research on interprofessional education (IPE). His proposal, “Evaluating the Utility of Mimycx to Advance Interprofessional Experiential Education,” will study the impact of Mimycx on early, Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE)-stage students’ perceptions and competencies related to IPE. A secondary objective is to assess student’s impressions of the utility of Mimycx.

Mimycx is a massively multi-player online serious game designed specifically to facilitate interprofessional education. The virtual simulation exercise requires students to interact remotely, yet in real time, to solve puzzling patient cases designed to target the Interprofessional Education Collaborative’s core competencies.

The AACP sponsored program serves the needs of new pharmacy faculty by providing start-up funding for their research programs. The 2016 competitive program offered 14 awards of up to $10,000 each. In addition, each award recipient will receive a travel stipend to present the investigator’s research findings at the AACP Annual Meeting to be held July 15-19, 2017 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Nashville, Tenn.

Zorek’s research is centered on interprofessional education and collaborative practice, with secondary foci on health outcomes from practice-based innovations and curriculum assessment. He serves as the UW-Madison School of Pharmacy Interprofessional Education Liaison and is a founding member of the UW-Madison Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education, scheduled to launch in April 2016. Zorek is the School’s official representative to the St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy located in Madison, Wis. In addition, he currently practices as a clinical pharmacist at Dean Health System, also located in Madison, Wis.