The concepts of oneness and unity are fundamental within the Bahá’í Faith and have tremendous implications for a society plagued by a crisis of identity. In the health field, numerous professionals trained in various disciplines and domains exist, and while the underlying goal of most professionals is to improve the health and wellbeing of people and communities, immense challenges around professional identity inhibit many from engaging in this noble aspiration. Polarizing identities furthered by lack of trust between professional bodies, artificial power dynamics, and dissonance between capacity to serve and politically defined domains of practice are among some of the challenges that health professionals experience. These challenges can hinder willingness to engage in multiple disciplinary work, despite how necessary it has become. In this thematic seminar, we will explore the following two questions: (1) What would a definition for professional identity look like, when informed by the Bahá’í approach to oneness and unity?; and (2) How would this definition guide the development of a practical framework for collaborative practice in the health field?
