Dear IHP community,
When the Covid-19 pandemic struck in 2020, healthcare education dramatically changed. We had to quickly move to online classes and simulated clinical experiences so that our students could continue to get the high-quality instruction that has always been a hallmark of an IHP education.
A reliance on using simulation to educate students and enhance the skills of practicing clinicians has become increasingly important, not only here at the IHP but in schools and hospitals across the world. But there hasn’t been research to rigorously test and compare accepted practices and identify more effective simulation learning experiences.
That’s about to change.
I’m excited to announce the launch of the Center of Excellence on Healthcare Simulation Research that we expect will become a global leader in the field.
Led by HPEd Professor Dr. Janice Palaganas, an expert with more than 20 years in simulation education, the Center is the first of its kind to focus on simulation research and will further expand the IHP’s position as a thought leader in this growing field. It will be funded by a portion of proceeds from a generous multi-million dollar gift the IHP recently received.
Workshops and seminars will be developed to teach practitioners from all the health professions, including medicine, better ways to use simulation to advance education and provide better patient care. Information from those, in turn, will incentivize scholarship to support the development of peer-reviewed articles and external research grants. Overall, the Center not only will help boost the IHP’s research enterprise but expand our reach as experts in interprofessional education.
To help get things going, we will distribute a few small seed grants to IHP faculty. We’ll have more details on that in the coming weeks.
It’s always exciting to see new initiatives begin here at the IHP. We’ve always had a strong entrepreneurial streak, willing to think big and look to the future as we work to expand our influence and reputation and improve health care for all. I’m looking forward for this new Center to do just that.
Paula