When Global IPCP Model Meets Local Contexts - What to Adopt, Adapt or Abandon for Cross-Cultural IPE

Date: Saturday, 26 September 2026 | Time: 1625 - 1755 | Venue: The NAK Auditorium, Academia (SGH Campus)

Track Type: Symposium

Speaker(s):

Overview:

Culture, as used in sociology, refers to the “way of life” of a particular group, encompassing shared values, beliefs, and norms. Cross‑cultural IPE, the adoption of IPE frameworks across systems - often fails when programmes are implemented without adapting to local norms such as hierarchy, feedback practices, speaking-up, and assessment expectations. Cross-cultural studies of interprofessional education further show that expectations of teamwork, communication, and hierarchy are influenced by sociocultural norms and local practice environments. As such, competency frameworks are best understood as guiding structures that require contextual interpretation and adaptation to specific clinical settings, professional cultures, health system priorities, and patient populations.

Since 2020, the Centre for InterProfessional Healthcare Education (CIPHE), SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, and the Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education (CACHE), University of Toronto, University Health Network have collaborated to deliver virtual and in-person competency-based IPE courses. Using a competency-based IPE course developed in Canada and used internationally, we adapted this to a Singaporean clinical context. Drawing on our Singapore–Canada collaboration, we share a practical approach to co‑designing, adapting, and delivering a continuing professional development in IPE, while preserving core competencies.

Learning Outcome(s):

By attending the symposium, the participants will be able to
1. Define culture in IPE
2. Analyse Commonalities and Differences in workplace cultures
3. Apply learning tips and best practices from our experiences to your context

Target Audience:

Healthcare professionals and health professions educators who are interested in designing interprofessional educational activities or develop and implement interprofessional clinical programmes whose members practice collaboratively.