Assistant VP for Interprofessional Education Receives FBI Award

Paul Wietig, EdD.

Paul Wietig, assistant vice president for interprofessional education, is one of a select few recipients of an FBI award for those who make a positive impact on their community.

Published January 30, 2015 This content is archived.

story based on news release by sara r. saldi

Paul Wietig, EdD, assistant vice president in the University at Buffalo’s Office of Interprofessional Education (IPE), is one of 58 people nationwide to receive the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award.

“Paul Wietig is an enormous asset to our mission of interprofessional education at UB. ”
Michael E. Cain, MD
Vice President for Health Sciences and Dean, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
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Wietig was recognized for fostering collaboration among professionals from different fields. He was cited for encouraging law enforcement, public health officials and health care professionals to work together.

Special agents in charge of FBI field offices nominate individuals or organizations for the annual award, which honors those who make a significant difference in the lives of others in their community.

Promoting UB-Community Collaboration

Michael E. Cain, MD, vice president for health sciences and dean, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, is pleased that the FBI is recognizing Wietig’s work.

“He is an enormous asset to our mission of interprofessional education at UB, and he has reached beyond UB to bring leaders in the local community and law enforcement to collaborate with and educate our faculty, staff and students,” said Cain, who attended the Dec. 17 ceremony for Wietig at the FBI’s Buffalo office.

FBI director James Comey will formally present the award to Wietig this May in Washington, D.C.

Improving Patient Care via Teamwork

Wietig promotes cross-disciplinary collaboration among UB students in:

In addition to students, Wietig helps educate and train community health care professionals to improve patient care via teamwork.

“We are working together for the present and future well-being of our community,” he said during the Dec. 17 ceremony.

Breaking Down Silos in Health Professions

An established educator and curriculum specialist, Wietig was named assistant vice president for the IPE office in 2013.

In this capacity, he offers educational and training experiences that break down the silos that keep health care professionals functioning only in their respective disciplines.

His programming has addressed such topics as:

  • gang behavior as a public health issue
  • joint criminal-epidemiological investigations
  • weapons of mass destruction (co-sponsored by the FBI and the Centers for Disease Control)