• The Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative and the Health Workforce Research Network of Alberta hosted Building Western Partnerships between Health Human Resource Planning and Interprofessional Education in Calgary, AB.
• Participants from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia shared their views on the outcomes from the various Health Canada-funded IECPCP projects.
• One of the key themes emerging from this conference was the need for a Western regional approach to linking IP practice & education with HHR planning and management.

January 2008:

• Participants from September's conference as well as other invited members from practice, education and policy sectors met in Saskatoon, SK to formally establish the Western Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative (WCIHC).

December 2008:

• In a continuous effort to strengthen the partnerships within and between the four western provinces the Collaborative hosted Intersectoral, Inter-Provincial Collaboration for Applied Research: Using IPE and Collaborative Practice to Create HHR Solutions in Vancouver, BC.
• This meeting provided attendees with a high level scan of national initiatives in IP practice & education and HHR challenges.
• Attendees also discussed opportunities for integrating knowledge production with knowledge exchange and application.

A consistent message has emerged from allmeetings: the WCIHC is in a unique position to leverage knowledge and resources for achieving system-wide change. Current findings in the field of IP practice & education will be delivered to national and provincial policy makers to develop sustainable workforce strategies and high quality care.