The University of Toledo’s CommunityCare Clinics have been named the recipient of the 2026 Excellence in Interprofessional Education Collaboration National Award, presented by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative in partnership with the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Officers Foundation.
The award recognizes programs that demonstrate meaningful real-world impact through interprofessional teamwork. Each week, medical students from across UToledo’s health science programs work side by side, guided by licensed healthcare providers, to deliver coordinated, team-based care to underserved communities in Toledo, including some of the area’s most economically vulnerable neighborhoods.
From left, Desha Perera, CommunityCares Clinics director of administration and a student in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences; Dr. Susan Batten, an associate professor in the School of Nursing; Dr. Mitch Howard, director of the IPPE program and the PGY1 Community-Based residency program in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Dr. Richard Paat, a clinical professor of internal medicine in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences; and Benjamin Theis, CommunityCares Clinics executive director and a student in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences.
The joint initiative is currently led by Dr. Mitchell Howard, director of the IPPE program and the PGY1 Community-Based residency program; Dr. Richard Paat, clinical professor of internal medicine; and Dr. Susan Batten, an associate professor in the School of Nursing.
Howard said the recognition carries personal meaning for his immediate team, while also honoring the work accomplished by the people who founded the CCC years ago.
“This recognition is especially meaningful to me because I was involved with this clinic myself as a student-leader several years ago and I have continued to serve as a pharmacist,” he said. “The CommunityCare Clinics not only provide essential care and support to members across our community, but they also give students a transformative opportunity to learn alongside other professions, better understand team-based care and develop into compassionate, collaborative healthcare providers.”
Through the clinic experience, students develop skills in interprofessional communication, care planning, and shared decision-making — learning not just their own clinical role but how to function effectively within a team that includes colleagues from medicine, nursing, pharmacy and beyond. The model is student-led, meaning participants aren’t passive observers but active contributors to quality improvement and problem-solving in real patient care settings.
