Coghlan named Center for Interprofessional Collaboration director

Nurse and health care leader, Robert Coghlan, PhD, RN, MSN, FNP, became the newest administrative director of the Center for Interprofessional Collaboration at UTHealth Houston. He succeeds Elda Ramirez, PhD, FNP-BC.

Coghlan has nearly 40 years of experience in health care, including work in nursing and in multiple leadership roles. Most recently, he served as chief operating officer and chief nursing officer for two emergency hospitals. His career has also included developing electronic medical record systems, leading hospital policy updates, leading process improvement initiatives, and mentoring health care professionals.

“I aim to strengthen CIPC processes to give us the opportunity to bring people together, break down silos, and build stronger connections across UTHealth Houston,” Coghlan said. “Collaboration is at the heart of our success, and these efforts will help us deliver even greater impact for those we serve."

Coghlan earned his doctorate in political science from the University of Houston in 2011, where his dissertation examined the “Role of the Media in Health Care Reform.”

“We are fortunate to have someone with Robert’s breadth of expertise and dedication to health care education to add to the CIPC leadership team,” said Kevin Morano, PhD, senior vice president of Academic and Faculty Affairs and the Roger J. Bulger, MD, Distinguished Professor at UTHealth Houston.

Rachel Jantea, MD, MS, director of education at the center, said Coghlan’s expertise will advance the center’s mission.

“Our center is proud to provide the interprofessional education and training experiences that prepare UTHealth Houston students across all seven schools for collaborative practice in health care,” Jantea said. “Running a center of this caliber is no small feat, and Dr. Coghlan’s experience as an emergency nurse practitioner, educator, and health system administrative leader will enhance our center’s operational effectiveness and pave the way for new growth, innovation, and scholarship.”

The Center for Interprofessional Collaboration promotes education, practice, and research across all UTHealth Houston schools to prepare students for team-based care.

Through team-focused simulations, interprofessional learning experiences, and a patient-safety-centered curriculum, the center helps train future professionals in medicine, nursing, dentistry, public health, biomedical science, behavioral health, and biomedical informatics.

The center is also a member of the Texas Interprofessional Education Consortium and the American Interprofessional Health Collaborative.

Kenny Bybee