The International Meeting for Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH) theme is “Looking Back Reaching Forward” January 9 – 14, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. This theme embraces IMSH’s 25th Anniversary. Many excellent opportunities and exciting special events are scheduled for this anniversary meeting. The IMSH 2025 Planning Co-Chairs are Brandon Kyle Johnson, PhD, RN, CHSE, ANEF; Kati Maxkenzie, MSHS, CHSOS-A, CHSE; and Shannon DiMarco, MSHS, CHSOS, have constructed an excellent opportunity for healthcare simulation professionals to collaborate and grow. IMSH 2025 began on January 9, 2025, with pre-conference sessions and activities. If you are not able to attend in person, you can join for a high-level IMSH virtual experience of keynote and main stage speakers. This HealthySimulation.com by Dr. Teresa Gore will highlight the opening day of IMSH 2025.
Background of IMSH
The Society for Simulation in Healthcare, formerly the Society for Medical Simulation, was founded in 2004 and renamed in 2006 to attract non-physician healthcare providers using healthcare simulation. The first annual International Meeting on Medical Simulation (IMMS) was held in 1995. In 2007, the IMMS meeting was renamed the International Meeting for Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH).
IMSH celebrates a quarter of a century with The 25th Anniversary Celebration this year. In 2024, the registration reached a record of 4300 participants with the largest exhibit hall. IMSH 2025 has over 4600 attendees and an even larger exhibit hall with SimVentors and Vendor Learning Labs.
Pre-IMSH 2025 Events
A special session was held on Healthcare Simulation 2050: Building a Better Future Together Forum on Thursday and Friday. The focus was to set the stage for healthcare simulation to be successful and continue to grow over the next 25 years. This event aligns with SSH leadership on the Global Consensus Statement on Simulation-Based Practice in Healthcare to advocate for healthcare and to a call to action.
Other events included:
- CHSE and CHSOS certification prep courses
- Accreditation Application Readiness course
- President’s Diamond Ball
- Immersive Courses
IMSH 2025 First Day Recap
Saturday started off with a 5K Fun Run/Walk to help simulations with their physical and mental health. Other important collaboration events included the SSH meetings of committees, sections, special interest groups (SIGs), and affinity groups. There is a group for everyone involved in simulation in SSH, and they have the opportunity to meet in person during IMSH.
The Opening Plenary Session – The Chad Epps Lecture
Kyle Scheele, “the patron saint of crazy ideas”, is always on the lookout for crazy ideas that produce wildly outsized outcomes. Over the last decade, his projects have been featured in outlets like Fast Company, WIRED, The Washington Post, Yahoo!, BuzzFeed, UpWorthy,
Goalcast, and more. More than anything, Kyle hopes that his story can inspire others to chase their own crazy ideas and become the people they were meant to be.
Kyle had the audience laughing and inspired attendees to embrace our innovative and creative ideas. The ripple effect when we act is ever-growing.
Key takeaways from Kyle Scheele include:
- Everyone is creative is some way – Warren Buffet quote, “What the human being is best at doing is interpreting all new information so that their prior conclusions remain intact;” Stay open to new interpretations.
- 5 Things Every Idea Needs: a chance, a home, a time and a place, a bodyguard, and a crew.
- Embrace the ‘what if’ and challenge yourself.
- A Peter Diamandis quote: “The day before something is a breakthrough, it’s a crazy idea”.
- Remember, healthcare simulation was once a crazy idea.
- Find your team and create the change that is needed.
- Successful people never say, “I wish I would have waited longer to start…”
Exhibit Hall Opening: IMSH 2025 EXPO
The enthusiasm was palpable in the opening of the Exhibit Hall with over 140 vendors on Saturday, January 11, 2025. IMSH is proud to host the world’s largest exhibition for healthcare simulation professionals: IMSH 2025 EXPO. An example of vendors present include:
- Avkin
- Center for Medical Simulation (CMS)
- Education Management Solutions
- Elevate Healthcare
- Gaumard Scientific
- HealthySimulation.com
- Intelligent Ultrasound NA INC
- Intelligent Video Solutions
- Laerdal Medical
- Lumeto
- Medical Shipment
- Moulage Sciences and Training
- Nasco Healthcare
- neosim AG
- Northwestern University, Northwestern Simulation
- Operative Experience
- Oxford Medical Simulation
- PCS.ai
- SimVS
- SimX VR
- Surgical Science
- TacMed Simulation
- The Debriefing Academy
- UbiSim
- VirtaMed
- WISER
Innovus Medical and UpSurgeOn announced they have teamed up to enhance surgical simulation and education for thousands of surgeons worldwide. UpSurgeOn’s portfolio of surgery simulators will now be available on Innovus Totum digital surgery platform and will be the exclusive commercial partner is some key international regions.
Learning Labs Showcase New Vendor Technologies
Members of the SSH Corporate Roundtable exhibiting at IMSH 2025 had the opportunity to showcase the products and services to healthcare simulation professionals. The Learning Labs for Saturday included:
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SIMStation Inc. Presents: Envisioning the Smart Simulation Center of Tomorrow
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Education Management Solutions****Presents: Shifting the Paradigm to a Competency-based Environment
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Elevate Healthcare Presents: Driving Optimal Simulation – Customer Centric Product Innovation for Realism, Relevance, and Reliability.
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Lucid Reality Labs Presents: Bridging the Virtual to Hands-On Training Gap with AI and Mixed Reality Innovations in Healthcare Education
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BioMed Simulation Presents: Augmented Reality in a Simulated Medical Emergency
What’s New in Sim Showcase
The What’s New in Sim Showcase highlighted six companies in the Exhibit Hall Theatre. Each company introduced and demonstrated their product or technology to the public for an “Exclusive First Look” at the newest innovations in Simulation in Healthcare! Three other companies will be highlighted on Sunday.
- Orlando Health Strategic Innovations: Hospital Simulation Institute
- Tacticle VR: AI Moderated VR Simulation
- SimVS: SimVS – IV Version 2.0
- BVS Trade FZC: Redefining Physical Examination Training with XR-Technology
- Extreme Simulations: PDR25 (preventable death rate 25%) manikin
- IMT Analytics AG: Alveo Lung Simulator Prototype
Follow @HealthySim on Twitter for All the Latest IMSH 2025 Updates!
