March 9, 2022By Lance Baily

The Role of Simulation: Getting WISER on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Winter Institute for Simulation Education and Research (WISER) offers several exciting opportunities throughout the year to enhance healthcare simulation learning across the medical community. One such event, “The Role of Simulation: Getting WISER on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” virtual conference and on-site workshop will be held on April 8, 2022, online and at 230 McKee Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This full-day course will discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion and their roles in healthcare simulation. Register for this event today!

During the event, attendees will have the opportunity to speak, share and brainstorm with some of the best in the healthcare simulation industry. Experts, Dr. Victoria Brazil and Dr. Kellie Bryant, will be on-hand as keynote speakers and will discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion and their roles in healthcare simulation. Further, working group sessions will be focused on debriefing, scenario design, and intersectionality/inclusivity in using standardized patients.

Today, medical professionals understand that often, no two patients are alike. From symptoms to conditions to physical appearance, different patients require individualized care. That is why being able to simulate healthcare training on a variety of patient types is critically important. Without diversified clinical simulation education and training, learners will never be truly prepared for what awaits them in the field. For this reason, learners and educators alike should “Get WISER” about diversity, equity and inclusion by registering for the upcoming event.


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Participants can attend the morning virtual session ($50), afternoon in-person session ($75), or both sessions ($100). Plus, coming together saves money! Take advantage of a 15% discount when registering for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Symposium. Offer valid only to groups of 10 or more who are attending ALL DAY (morning virtual session and afternoon in-person session). To receive the 15% discount, contact WISER directly with the number of people in the group at wiserhelp@upmc.edu. WISER representatives will assist you in processing your group order and can provide any additional information you need.

Virtual Schedule
8:00 am – Introduction (Dr. Paul Phrampus)
8:05 am – Opening Remarks (Dr. Anantha Shekhar)
8:15 am – DEI & Simulation: Where Do We Start? (Dr. Kellie Bryant)
9:30 am – Supporting Simulation Faculty to Embrace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Sims Programs (Dr. Victoria Brazil)
10:30 am – Challenging Conversations for DEI (Panel Discussion)
10:30 am  – The Spectrum of Simulation Technologies
11:45 am – Integrating Virtual Realities and DEI

In-Person Schedule
1:00 pm – Welcome- Dr. O’Donnell
Foundations: Leveraging Simulation in DEI
2:15 pm – “Working Group Discussions” with “Talking the Talk – Power of Debriefing” “Creating the Roadmap – Scenario Design for DEI” and “Embracing Intersectionality: Tools for Inclusive SP Case Design”
3:45 pm – Break/ come together as a group
4:00 pm – Getting WISER- Preparing for the Future
5 pm – Closing remarks with Dr. Phrampus followed by a wine & cheese reception

More About Presenters


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Dr. Kellie Bryant: Dr. Kellie Bryant is an expert in the field of simulation. She has designed clinical simulation centers and healthcare simulation programs for top-rated nursing schools. Bryant oversees operations of simulation-based education for all graduate nursing and advanced practice nursing students. Dr. Bryant is the co-chair of the Society in Healthcare media and communication committee and appointed member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusive committee.

Dr. Victoria Brazil: Dr. Victoria Brazil is an emergency physician and medical educator.
She is a Professor of Emergency Medicine & Director of simulation at the Gold Coast Health Service. Dr. Brazil Leads the Bond University Translational Simulation Collaborative. Her main interests are connecting education with patient care through translational simulation for healthcare and in developing high-performing teams.


Upcoming Paul Phrampus Presentation/Breakout Sessions at HealthySimulation.com’s Champions of Simulation Virtual Symposium April 13th

To further advance the conversation of healthcare simulation, HealthySimulation.com is thrilled to announce the “Champions of Simulation” Virtual Symposium on April 13th, from ~8 AM to 4 PM PDT, UTC-7. This exciting virtual event will include over 18 sessions with presentations from more than 20 industry experts. One of these presenters will be Paul Phrampus, MD, FSSH, FACEP, director of the WISER Center, Medical Director of Patient Safety at UPMC, and Past President at the Society for Simulation in Healthcare:

(12:15 PM – 1:15 PM) Discussion Panel: Is It Time for the Healthcare Simulation Industry to Call for a National Patient Safety Board?: COVID19 has forced educational institutions, medical care organizations, and government bodies to rethink education and training within healthcare in incredible ways. Now, more than ever, healthcare professionals and their respective institutions are making calls to address medical errors and nationalize reporting and analysis to improve patient care and reduce costs. Does this mean it is time the U.S. government developed a new National Patient Safety Board (NPSB), similar to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the aviation industry, to help mitigate harm?

But what does the NTSB do and why is it important for us to consider duplicating that agency into healthcare? Starting of this session, HealthySimulation.com Founder Lance Baily will introduce Dr. Karen Wolk Feinstein, President, and CEO of the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation and a part of the National Patient Safety Board Advocacy Coalition, an organization working to develop and create an NPSB. Following this introduction, world-renown simulation experts Dr. Paul Phrampus, Director, WISER Center & Medical Director of Patient Safety at UPMC, Past President at Society for Simulation in Healthcare, Dr. KT Waxman, Clinical Professor & Director at UC San Francisco, Director at the California Simulation Alliance and Dr. Pam Boyers, Associate Vice Chancellor Clinical Simulation at iEXCEL at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), will consider the opportunities and challenges of supporting the call to develop an NPSB. Do we support it, and if so, what do we need to do to help make it happen?



Join live on the day to ask questions from some of the world’s leading experts, and/or rewatch any session as much as you like for 3 months following the event by registering now — but hurry — early-bird ends March 16th!


Additional Healthcare Simulation Diversity Articles

More About WISER

The Winter Institute for Simulation Education and Research (also known as WISER) is a world-class multidisciplinary healthcare simulation training and research facility out of UPMC. An institute of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the WISER Simulation Center’s mission is to conduct research and training programs utilizing clinical simulation-based education to increase patient safety at the UPMC and the school’s affiliates. The UPMC WISER facility is directed by Dr. Paul Phrampus, MD, who is also a professor in the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Anesthesiology at the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine.

In addition to improving patient safety, the facility is dedicated to the advancement of healthcare simulation and education to promote education, mentorship, systems design, and research to enhance the high-quality delivery of healthcare. To achieve this outcome, WISER works to enhance patient safety through state-of-the-art educational and assessment methodologies and techniques. The facility also creates innovative education programs for healthcare providers ranging from students to practicing professionals.

Learn More About the WISER DEI Symposium


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