Interprofessional Collaboration Award
Established in 2015, the Interprofessional Collaboration Award recognizes occupational therapists (OTs) and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) who demonstrate exemplary, sustained collaboration with professionals from other disciplines to advance person-centered and population health outcomes. Recipients exemplify the spirit of interprofessional practice by fostering mutual respect, shared decision-making, innovation in education or service delivery, and meaningful impact on health equity through collaborative practice, education, or research.
This award honors occupational therapy practitioners whose work reflects the highest standards of interprofessional values, accountability, rigor, and impact, strengthening team-based care and advancing outcomes that could not be achieved through single-profession efforts alone.
Spirit of the Award
The Interprofessional Collaboration Award honors authentic, robust collaboration. It is not intended to recognize participation on multidisciplinary teams by title alone, nor isolated projects with limited demonstrated impact. Rather, this award celebrates occupational therapy practitioners who embed interprofessional values into their work, demonstrate shared leadership and accountability across professions, and produce measurable outcomes that improve client, system, educational, or population-level health.
Description and Purpose
• To recognize occupational therapy practitioners who demonstrate exemplary interprofessional collaboration in clinical practice, education, research, or community-based initiatives.
• To honor OTs and OTAs who work as equal and accountable partners with other professions to address complex clients, community, or population needs.
• To promote interprofessional approaches that advance innovation, health outcomes, and health equity.
- To recognize and elevate occupational therapy practitioners who lead and model effective interprofessional practice.
Eligibility and Criteria
All criteria must be met for a nomination to be considered. Nominations are evaluated based on the strength, objectivity, and documentation of interprofessional collaboration, leadership, and impact.
- Professional Eligibility: The nominee(s) may be an individual or a team. At least one member must be an OT or OTA who is a current AOTA member in good standing at the time of nomination and at the time the award is presented.
- Demonstrated Interprofessional Collaboration: The nominee(s) must demonstrate sustained and meaningful collaboration with professionals from other disciplines. Collaboration must extend beyond consultation or referral and reflect shared planning, decision-making, and accountability.
- Alignment with Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Competencies: The nominee(s) must clearly demonstrate integration of the current IPEC competencies:
- Values and ethics for interprofessional practice
- Roles and responsibilities
- Interprofessional communication
- Teams and teamwork
Nominations must describe how these competencies are intentionally applied in practice, education, or research.
- Leadership and Innovation: The nominee(s) shall demonstrate leadership in developing, implementing, or advancing interprofessional practice, education models, programs, research initiatives, or system-level change.
- Documented Impact: The nomination must provide objective evidence of impact. Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Improved client, community, or population health outcomes
- Enhanced team effectiveness or efficiency
- Sustainable program or system-level change
- Advancement of health equity
- Measurable educational or workforce outcomes
Impact must be clearly described; reviewers will not infer significance without documentation.
- Dissemination of Work: The nominee(s) must demonstrate dissemination of interprofessional work through scholarly presentations, publications, program evaluation reports, policy briefs, curricula, or other professional dissemination activities.
What Does Not Qualify Alone
Participation in multidisciplinary teams without evidence of shared leadership, accountability, or documented outcomes does not, by itself, qualify for this award. Role-based collaboration that reflects expected job duties, standard employment responsibilities, or participation by title alone without demonstration of above-and-beyond interprofessional contribution will not be credited. Single projects, pilot efforts, or short-term initiatives lacking sustained engagement or measurable impact are insufficient. Nominations that rely on strong narrative descriptions without objective evidence, clear outcomes, or documented impact will not meet the criteria for this award.