Healthcare Simulation Conference

Matthew David Charnetski is the Director of Simulation-Based Education and Research & Interprofessional Continuing Education (SBERI) at Dartmouth Health, where he leads system-wide simulation strategy, patient safety training, life-support programs, and continuing education initiatives across a complex, multi-institutional academic health system. He is also the President-Elect of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH).

A Fellow of the SSH Academy (FSSH), Matthew has held numerous national and international leadership roles across SSH, INACSL, SimGHOSTS, and other interprofessional organizations, frequently serving at the intersection of governance, accreditation, operations, and innovation. His scholarly work focuses on simulation systems design, cultural and contextual influences on curriculum transfer, and the future of simulation in EMS and health professions education. He is currently completing his doctorate in Health Professions Education at Maastricht University, where his research examines transborder simulation curriculum partnerships and culturally responsive design.

As Assistant Director for M Simulation at the University of Minnesota, E.B. Floersch works across curriculum development, program management, and applied research to strengthen clinical readiness and emergency response. His Master of Public Health in global emergency preparedness further shaped his approach to designing training that not only develops skills but meaningfully improves patient outcomes. He brings a practical, experience-informed perspective to simulation, grounded in tackling real-world clinical challenges

Now pursuing a doctorate in Human Factors and Ergonomics at the University of Minnesota, E.B. is exploring how human factors methods can enhance simulation design, improve training effectiveness, and optimize overall system performance. His research focuses on bridging the gap between how clinicians train and how they perform under pressure.

Dr. Kim Leighton retired as the Executive Director of Itqan Clinical Simulation and Innovation Center at Hamad Medical Corporation in Doha, Qatar, serving the multidisciplinary clinical practitioner community. She has over 22 years of healthcare simulation experience in academia, hospitals, and industry.

Kim is a past president of the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning, where she led development of the first standards of best practice for simulation. She is currently on the Board of Directors for the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, acting as liaison to the Certification Council. Kim’s research focuses on development and psychometric analysis of evaluation tools for simulation education, which are disseminated through HealthySimulation.com. Kim is co-editor of the award-winning book Simulation Champions: Fostering Courage, Caring, and Connection.

Phillip Wortham is a distinguished healthcare professional with a remarkable career spanning over 16 years in healthcare simulation leadership, innovation, and operations.

Phillip’s journey in healthcare began at Denver Health Medical Center, where he delved into biomedical engineering for a notable three-year tenure. His passion for enhancing medical education and patient care led him to Children's Hospital Colorado, where he played a pivotal role in designing and establishing a state-of-the-art simulation center within the facility.

His career then took him to Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City, where he assumed the Director of Operations and Technology role for their simulation consortium. Overseeing a vast network of training for 24 hospitals and 185 clinics across Utah and southern Idaho. Here he designed and oversaw six cutting-edge simulation centers.

Notably, Phillip was Chief Operating Officer at the prestigious Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) in Tampa, Florida, further solidifying his reputation as a trailblazer in the simulation domain.

Currently, Phillip serves as the Chief Clinical Simulation Officer at the Praxis Center, situated in Butte, Montana. The Praxis Center focuses on addressing the unique training needs of rural healthcare providers, clinics, and tribal health centers. Phillip also volunteers as a Lead Accreditation Site Reviewer for the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.

Jarrod Young is the founding Executive Director of Academic Simulation at the University of Louisville, where he leads the development, integration, and strategic direction of the University’s new Academic Simulation Program. This enterprise will bring together existing University of Louisville simulation programs within the state-of-the-art Health Sciences Center Building scheduled to open in 2029. In this role, Jarrod is responsible for building an innovative, unified simulation ecosystem that advances interprofessional education, workforce readiness, and clinical excellence across all four schools of the University of Louisville Health Sciences Center.

Prior to joining the University of Louisville, Jarrod served as the Director of Operations, Technology, and Business Development at the Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Simulation (CHIPS) at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). He oversaw all operational, logistical, and technological functions within the 45,000-square-foot simulation center, which supports programming across six UTHSC colleges and numerous community partners.

Jarrod earned his Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee–Martin. Beyond his institutional roles, he is an active leader within the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH), currently serving as Chair of the SSH Accreditation Council. He has previously served on the SSH Board of Directors and the SSH Governance Council, contributing to national and international efforts to elevate the quality and impact of simulation-based education and accreditation.