Lessons learned from a practitioner-academician collaboration

The authors, a practitioner and an academician, report on their collaboration over a 4-year period as opportunities arose in which it was important to draw from one author's vast practical experience and the other author's academic expertise. Beginning with a historical view of collaboration grounded in the literature, the authors focus on factors to consider in dealing with collaboration and models of collaboration. After describing three of their collaborative opportunities, they conclude that there are fundamental organizational and institutional issues that need to be considered, even in successful collaborations in which personal and professional differences between the practitioner and academician are not prominent.