Healthcare Simulation Conference

Paul E. Phrampus, MD, MBA, CPE
Director of the Peter M. Winter Institute for Simulation, Education, and Research

Dr. Paul Phrampus is the Medical Director of Patient Safety for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Health System and the Director of the Peter M. Winter Institute for Simulation, Education, and Research (WISER). He is also a professor in the departments of Emergency Medicine and Anesthesiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Paul has overseen the expansion of WISER capabilities in developing a distributive management model for the main campus of WISER and the 13 satellite centers deployed throughout the UPMC Health System. He has been very active in healthcare quality, patient safety, and culture of safety efforts throughout UPMC. He is an active member of the Quality Patient Care Committee of the UPMC Board of Directors and serves on the Board of the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative (PRHI).

Paul is a co-creator and course director of the internationally acclaimed iSIM (Improving Simulation Instructional Methods) simulation instructor training program. He is an inaugural member of the editorial board of the journal Simulation in Healthcare. He is a fellow and past President of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, a previous co-chair of the International Meeting for Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH), and currently the chair of the Governance Committee of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.

Advait Kothare, MB, BCH, BAO
Clinical Instructor in Emergency Medicine

Dr. Advait Kothare is a Clinical Instructor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He is also a Simulation and Medical Education fellow at the Winter Institute for Simulation, Education, and Research (WISER) at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Health System.

Advait has extensive experience in simulation-based education. He has developed an Emergency Department-based mock code in-situ pediatric cardiac arrest program and critical care simulation curricula. Internationally, he has built simulation curricula in Rwanda, Africa for their Emergency Medicine training programs. His primary educational and research focus is on in-situ simulation, simulation assessment, pediatric emergency readiness, and curriculum development in health sciences.

Advait was the recipient of the Rhode Island American College of Emergency Physicians Educational Excellence Award in 2024. He is a practicing emergency physician at the UPMC Health System.

Geoffrey T. Miller, PhD(c), EMT-P, FSSH
Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing

Geoffrey T. Miller is a medical and health professions educator and Associate Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He is the Doctors David S. and Marilyn M. Zamierowski Director of the Johns Hopkins Medicine Simulation Center, and adjunct faculty at the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety. He is a visiting professor at Taipei Medical University.

Prior to joining Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, he was the Senior Research Scientist and Division Chief of the Medical Modeling, Simulation, Informatics & Visualization (MMSIV) Division at the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC), and Director of Simulation, Technology and Research and Associate Professor at the School of Health Professions at Eastern Virginia Medical School.

His research has been funded by the Department of Defense, Defense Health Agency, J9 Directorate, Defense Health Agency Joint Program Committee 1, Department of Health and Human Services, and State of Florida Department of Health focusing on simulation-based educational activities, curriculum development, educational outcomes, and translational analysis, with an emphasis on the creation and improvement of clinical performance assessment using advanced educational technology, modeling and simulation, specializing in immersive virtual environments, serious gaming and innovative educational technology development.

Thomas Dongilli, AT, CHSOS-A, FSSH
Director of Operations at the Peter M. Winter Institute for Simulation, Education, and Research

Thomas Dongilli has worked in the healthcare education industry for over 27 years. Tom is the Director of Operations at the Peter M. Winter Institute for Simulation, Education, and Research (WISER). He is a fellow in the Society for Simulation in Healthcare and past co-chair of the International Meeting for Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH).

Tom supplies operational leadership to WISER’s main facility and its 13 satellite centers in this role. He has extensive experience in simulation center design, integration, and operations. His area of clinical interest is in the field of patient safety and identifying latent threats to hospitals and health systems. This work has led to the creation of the In-patient Crisis Response System Evaluation Program and the First 5 Minutes – What to do Until the Code Team Arrives training program. He also contributes expert knowledge and experience in the practical design, implementation, operation and monitoring of simulation-based programs and medical learning systems.

Tom has been an active member of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare since its inception. He is a member of the Veteran’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Simulation Center Steering Committee, the Previous SSH (CHSOS) Exam Prep Committee, and the SSH Meeting Oversight Committee. Tom was the lead author on creating the Society for Simulation in Healthcare’s “2012 and 2021 Simulation Center Policy and Procedure Manual.”

David Shablak
Simulation Operations Specialist

David Shablak is a seasoned Simulation Operations Specialist, consultant, and educator with expertise in healthcare simulation, hospital integration, and innovation lab development. He co-hosts the SimGeeks Podcast and the YouTube series This Old Manikin, where he explores emerging technologies, simulation best practices, and hands-on skills for the industry. With a strong background in moulage, 3D printing, and electronic integration, David is also an innovator, developing new task trainers and simulation solutions.