Health care is a team effort. From front-desk administrators to nurses, doctors, insurers and the patients and families themselves, many people are involved in an individual's care, and clinicians increasingly find themselves teaming up with near-strangers on high-stakes situations formed at short notice. Innovations in Teamwork for Health Care shows how to build trust, communication and psychological safety into these fast-moving, cross-functional teams so they deliver safer, more coordinated care.
This is an official Harvard Online course, featuring faculty from Harvard Business School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and delivered on Harvard Online's learning platform. IPMC International handles your registration, payment and local support, then enrols you on the course. The format is self-guided within a scheduled cohort, and the certificate of completion is issued by Harvard Online.
The course draws on the science of "teaming" to build practical skills:
The programme is taught at an intermediate level and combines the latest research with firsthand accounts from leaders inside and outside health care. To earn the certificate, participants complete all modules and associated assignments by the stated deadlines.
Examine what happens when individuals join together to lend their expertise, and explore why some teams thrive while others fail.
Learn how to build trust quickly, articulate the importance of psychological safety and create the conditions for a joint problem-solving orientation.
Understand the particular needs of teams that form and dissolve rapidly, and how to build transparent feedback loops that keep them effective.
Rethink the role of hierarchy and leadership in the context of teaming, so accountability is clear and the right expertise leads at the right moment.
Implement a PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) framework and a practical set of teaming strategies to improve communication, efficiency and patient safety.
Amy Edmondson: Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School, and a pioneer of the concept of psychological safety.
Michaela Kerrissey: Assistant Professor of Management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, whose research focuses on how health-care teams and organisations perform.
Learners also hear firsthand from industry leaders, including Tomislav Mihaljevic, MD (CEO and President of the Cleveland Clinic) and Andrés Sougarret (the engineer who led the 2011 rescue of 33 trapped Chilean miners). Affiliations are listed for identification purposes only.
The course is designed for clinicians, administrators and leaders across health care and the life sciences who want to build higher-performing teams and safer patient care. It's ideal for professionals, graduates and organisations who want a globally recognised Harvard Online credential to advance their careers or capabilities.
On successful completion you receive a digital Certificate of Completion from Harvard Online. Once you've earned it you can add it to your CV and LinkedIn to evidence your teamwork and leadership skills.
The course fee is confirmed on enquiry and put in writing before payment.
Pay IPMC securely by debit/credit card in UAE Dirhams (UAE) or by UPI, card or net banking in Indian Rupees (India).
Yes. The course is delivered by Harvard Online and the certificate of completion is issued by Harvard Online.
No. While the course is set in health care, the teaming principles apply to any fast-moving, cross-functional environment. It is pitched at an intermediate level.
The course runs over about 5 weeks and is self-guided, with roughly 6–9 hours of study per week. You set your own pace within the scheduled cohort.
This course runs as a scheduled Harvard Online cohort. The next cohort starts 7 Oct 2026. Contact us to reserve your place.
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