Dr. Yurasek is an attending physician in the cardiac intensive care unit at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC, and an associate professor of pediatrics at the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences. After graduating from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, he completed his pediatric residency and pediatric cardiology fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital, and then his pediatric critical care fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. His research is focused on medical simulation and CICU training and he serves as the Director of Education in the CICU and the Director of Critical Care Simulation for the hospital. In addition to this, he has a strong interest in quality improvement, and over the past couple of years he has been working on restructuring a CICU simulation program in an effort to align focus with other unit-wide QI initiatives. He has served on the PCICS Quality Improvement Committee since 2019 and has been a committee co-chair since 2023. He has also served as the chair of the Pediatrics Section for the Society for Simulation in Healthcare since 2023.

Dr. Jabeen Fayyaz, MD, FCPS, MCPS, DCH, CHSE, MHPE, Ph.D. (Sim), MGH IHP, journey at SickKids began in 2016 as a PEM Fellow, advancing to her current roles as a Staff Physician and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. Her professional trajectory commenced in Pakistan, where she graduated and subsequently served as a Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) faculty member at Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) for five years. Notably, Dr. Fayyaz was among the pioneering leaders in Pakistan whose expertise in Emergency Medicine was recognized by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan in 2011. Following her tenure at AKUH, Dr. Fayyaz further honed her skills during a three-year tenure at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH), where she spearheaded the implementation of the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) and led a quality improvement initiative utilizing the LEAN Sigma methodology.

As the esteemed PEM International Fellowship Program Director and Resuscitation Lead, Dr. Fayyaz plays a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of healthcare professionals, instilling in them the values of excellence and compassion. She
also serves as the Chair of the International Paediatric Simulation Society (IPSS) – INSPIRE PED Simulation Fellowship and sits on the Board of INSPIRE and IPSS directors.
Driven by her passion for utilizing simulation for community outreach and capacity building, Dr. Fayyaz has spearheaded various initiatives in collaboration with healthcare institutions globally, making a profound impact on the international medical education landscape. Notably, she implemented a simulation-based PEM curriculum for Emergency Medicine residents and a one-year PEM certification program, graduating 27 physicians in July 2023. Furthermore, she has facilitated faculty development through a Simulation Instructor Course, training over 50 educators in simulation-based education in Pakistan and beyond.

In addition to her clinical and educational roles, Dr. Fayyaz has an extensive research portfolio and serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Healthcare Simulation (IJOHS) and other respected journals.

Kathee is a Professional Development Specialist-RN for Scripps Health, a large multi-site system in San Diego, CA where she designs and conducts simulations, leads IPE teams and oversees large system-wide projects. She has extensive education and simulation knowledge with decades of progressive clinical and professional experience in both acute care and academia. She has authored several publications on Process Improvement Simulations for nursing and other interprofessionals. Kathee has been the Chair of the Patient Safety and Simulation Collaborative Affinity Group for the Society for Simulation in Healthcare since 2023 and was the Vice-Chair from 2021-2023. Kathee is an experienced workshop presenter, content reviewer and SimVentor Judge for the Society for Simulation.