Dr. Maria Bajwa is an Associate Professor at the MGH Institute of Health Professions (MGH IHP), where she specializes in healthcare simulation and the ethical integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in health professions education. Her work advances educator capability through technology-enhanced learning, distance simulation, and the responsible adoption of AI. Grounded in adult learning and constructivist principles, her teaching emphasizes psychological safety, critical thinking, and learner agency within simulation-based environments.
Dr. Bajwa has led influential initiatives in the field, including the development of the Distance Simulation Educator Guidelines, the Urdu translation of the Simulationist Code of Ethics to enhance global accessibility, and innovative partnership models between simulationists and AI technologists. She has also contributed foundational guidance on AI prompt design for simulation-based education. Her research focuses on faculty readiness, implementation science, and bias-aware approaches to AI integration in healthcare training.
She is a co-founder and Board Member of the AI-Simulation Healthcare Collaborative and co-founder of the AI Healthcare Simulation publication channel in the Cureus Journal of Computer Science.
At MGH IHP, Dr. Bajwa serves as Lead AI Researcher for the REBEL Lab and founded the AI Assurance Lab, which advances responsible evaluation and deployment of AI in simulation and health professions education.
- PhD in Simulation-based Education, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA, USA
- MSMS in Medical and Healthcare Simulation, Drexel University, College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- AAS, in Health Information Technology, SUNY Broome Community College, Binghamton, NY, USA
- MBBS (Medical Doctor), Abbottabad, KPK, Pakistan
- Healthcare simulation
- Artificial Intelligence in healthcare education and simulation
- Distance and virtual simulation
- Professional development
- Interprofessional education
Dr. Bajwa has published numerous papers - some titles are highlighted below.
Development of Distance Simulation Educator Guidelines in Healthcare
Establishes the first consensus based basic and advanced competencies for distance simulation educators, creating a foundation for faculty development, assessment, and program quality in online simulation.
Technological Competence of Distance Simulation Educators
Specifies the technological and behavioral skills distance simulation educators must gain through structured coursework and evaluation, clarifying expectations for educator readiness beyond years of experience.
Defines six concrete JEDI practices for synchronous distance simulation, guiding educators to design inclusive, accessible virtual learning while highlighting persistent structural and technological barriers that require institutional action.
AI Simulation Partnership Framework
Introduces the AI Simulation Partnership Framework, a practical checklist to structure collaboration between simulationists and AI developers so AI driven simulations are pedagogically sound, ethical, and aligned with stakeholder needs.
A guide to prompt design: Foundations and applications for healthcare simulationists.
Gives simulationists a concise, evidence informed guide to large language model prompt design, detailing key prompt types and use cases to support simulation objectives while attending to ethics, privacy, and bias.
