Nathaniel L. Bishop has been named chair of the Department of Interprofessionalism at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine.

Bishop, an assistant professor at the school of medicine, also serves as president of Jefferson College of Health Sciences (JCHS) in Roanoke, Va.  He previously held the role of vice president of facility and guest services for Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

“NL is a trusted partner, advisor, and friend,” said Dr. Cynda Ann Johnson, dean of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. “His new role will deepen the ties between our two schools, enhancing health education opportunities in our community. In addition, our partnership to provide medical and health professional students with interprofessional education is setting a model for other medical schools.”

Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine students take interprofessionalism classes with nursing, physician assistant, and allied health students at JCHS.

The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine was one of the nation’s first medical schools to integrate interprofessional learning across the four-year curriculum. The school’s leaders and faculty members worked with their counterparts at Jefferson College to build an integrated program for both schools. In addition, faculty members at the Batten School of Leadership at Hollins University contributed to the curriculum.

In the past decade, a number of organizations focused on the improvement of medicine -- including the Institute of Medicine, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation -- have emphasized the importance of interprofessional learning in enhancing patient care and safety. A 2010 report from the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation and the Carnegie Foundation stated that “if nursing, medical, and other health professions students learn jointly in clinical settings, as graduates they will improve patient outcomes by working more collaboratively, communicating better with each other, and fostering a health care delivery system that assures quality and patient safety.”

“The partnership between the medical school and Jefferson has helped both schools grow and thrive,” said Bishop. “Medicine is evolving to rely on team-based care. The interprofessionalism curriculum better prepares our graduates to work in the modern health care environment. I am humbled to lead the outstanding faculty members who make up the Department of Interprofessionalism at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, many of whom also serve as faculty members at Jefferson.”

Bishop began his career in health care managing continuing-care retirement communities. In 1997, he joined Carilion Clinic, where he served in various leadership roles until being named president of JCHS in 2010. Bishop has served on the JCHS Board of Directors since 2003.

Bishop holds an undergraduate degree in sociology of law enforcement from Radford University, a master’s degree in education from Virginia Tech, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Wesley Theological Seminary.

Written by Alison Matthiessen, marketing communications specialist for the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine.

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