Skye McKennon, PharmD, BCPS, associate professor in the WSU College of Medicine, is using recently awarded grant funding to evaluate distress and promote wellbeing among health care professionals and learners in health sciences fields.
In the spring of 2023, the Collaboration for Interprofessional Health Education Research and Scholarship (CIPHERS) opened applications for seed grant funding. McKennon applied and received funding for her I-COMPASS project.
I-COMPASS, which stands for Interprofessional COlleagues Meeting to Promote And Sustain Satisfaction, is a project designed to evaluate whether an intervention that positively impacts physician wellbeing will similarly impact health science learners. The interventions consist of connections to meaning, purpose, and community through small group meetings. The results will illuminate how health science institutions can positively influence learner distress and wellbeing.
Further, McKennon co-leads study exploring the efficacy of the Apollo Neuro device, a wearable touch therapy band, in reducing stress and enhancing measures of wellbeing. The study involves 73 WSU health professions students.
McKennon spearheads a number of interprofessional education efforts at the WSU Health Sciences Spokane Campus. Her work was recently recognized with the 2024 Chancellor’s Excellence Award in Interprofessional Education.