Patricia J. Ohtake, associate professor of physical therapy in the Department of Rehabilitation Science, School of Public Health and Health Professions, has been appointed assistant vice president for interprofessional education.

The Office of Interprofessional Education works to strengthen teamwork and communication among students in the health professions in order to improve patient care and safety, deliver higher quality health care and produce better patient outcomes.

Ohtake has served as interim assistant vice president for the past year, following five years of involvement in UB’s Interprofessional Education (IPE) program. This academic year, she chaired two Interprofessional Forums involving 1,400 students and 100 faculty members from dental medicine, law, management, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy, public health and social work.

“I’m honored and excited to serve the students and faculty of UB as assistant vice president of interprofessional education,” Ohtake says. “Preparing health care professionals to be collaborative practitioners will improve patient outcomes and quality of life, reduce medical errors and strengthen our health care system.”

Throughout her career, Ohtake has been active in clinical, educational and basic science research focused on topics related to physical therapists’ care of individuals in acute and critical care settings; cardiovascular and pulmonary physiology, pathophysiology and clinical interventions; and most recently, the use of simulation in health professionals’ education and interprofessional education.

Ohtake earned a physical therapy degree from McGill University in Montreal. Following several years of clinical practice, she completed an MS in exercise physiology and a PhD in physiology from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Following her graduate studies, she completed a three-year postdoctoral fellowship focusing on respiratory physiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Ohtake has authored more than 65 peer-reviewed publications on research in the areas of interprofessional education and simulation, and has presented UB IPE projects at national and international conferences. Her research has been published in prominent rehabilitation, education and basic science journals, including Physical Therapy, Simulation in Healthcare, BMJ Open, Journal of Physical Therapy Education, Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy Journal, Journal of Applied Health Science, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, and Journal of Applied Physiology.

Ohtake has served on the editorial boards of Physical Therapy and Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy Journal, provided grant reviews for national and international organizations, including the American Lung Association and the Canadian Lung Association, and represents the American Physical Therapy Association on the National Quality Forum's Pulmonary and Critical Care Committee.