Team Science

The EIH program fosters diverse teams across engineering disciplines and academic levels with healthcare professionals to collaboratively address complex health challenges. With the emerging focus on interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams, there is a growing emphasis on strategically examining and enhancing team dynamics, known as Team Science. Team Science is defined as “scientific collaboration, i.e., research conducted by more than one individual in an interdependent fashion, including research conducted by small teams and larger groups” (Cooke et al., 2015) and “a collaborative effort to address a scientific challenge that leverages the strengths and expertise of professionals trained in different fields” (NCI, 2019).

In 2017, the EIH program partnered with the Institute for Translational Health Sciences (ITHS) and the UW Center for Health Sciences Interprofessional Education, Research & Practice (CHSIE) to bring tailored Team Science training to EIH student-clinician teams. The implementation of Team Science training into the EIH program has resulted in measurable improvements in team dynamics, communication, and program participant satisfaction. The program has also seen an increase in provisional patent applications, prototyping funds raised, startups formed, and projects continuing beyond the EIH program. You can read more about our implementation process and outcomes in Blakeney & Kang, et al., 2021.

Team Functioning Improvements

Want to learn more about Team Science?

To learn more about Team Science, why it is important, and how to positively influence team processes, click here to download a short Powerpoint voiceover slide presentation.