Amy Cowperthwait
SIM Summit
Amy has been the proud founder and CEO of Avkin inc., since 2016, a company whose foundation is rooted in providing the most realistic simulation experiences via the integration of standardized patients and wearable simulators. Within her current role, she is responsible for providing leadership and strategic direction, developing educational initiatives that advance excellence in healthcare simulation education, and serving as an expert for standardized patient methodology.Â
Amy’s expertise in healthcare simulation stems from almost two decades of experience in the industry. Her scholarly accomplishments include the publication of more than 10 journal articles and a book chapter in Defining Excellence in Simulation.Â
As an academic, she received $500,000 in grant funding to conduct research on the outcomes of hybrid simulation and develop the world's first wearable simulators to extend the integration of standardized patients. Her commitment to sharing her knowledge and expertise with the simulation community is evidenced by her hundreds of keynote, conference, and webinar presentations as well as her mentoring program over the past ten years.
Throughout her career, Amy has garnered multiple accolades for her commitment to improving the art and science of healthcare simulation through the development of strategic partnerships, expansive interprofessional programs, and cutting-edge technology. These include receiving the inaugural Hayden-Vanguard Lectureship Award, 1st place award for technology and innovation at the International Meeting for Simulation in Healthcare, Carol Ammon Innovator Award, and The National Council of Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer's Best University Start-up Award.
Her leadership responsibilities extend beyond Avkin; she has remained actively involved with numerous national and international committees. For the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, as part of the Marketing and Outreach Committee, she served as the Healthcare Simulation Week lead in 2022. She was an invited member of the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning Standards of Best practice Committee-SPs in 2018-2019. In 2023-2024 she is a member of the interassociational task force-Alliance for Workforce Identification in Simulation in Healthcare. She is a recognized leader and innovator in the simulation industry and spends much of her time mentoring others, contributing to the body of knowledge, and presenting her work through keynote addresses at regional, national, and international events.Â