During this years Women’s History Month 2024, Avkin wants to recognize all of the amazing woman that have pioneered the way for simulation professionals all over the world.
Make sure to follow us on Linkedin to see each of the new pioneers we are announcing each Thursday all through Women’s History Month.
Happy Women’s History Month! Throughout the month, join us in taking the time to highlight some amazing influential women in simulation! Today we honor our first Simulation Pioneer, Professor Desiree A. Díaz, PhD, FHP-BC, CNE, CHSE-A, ANEF, FSSH, FAAN, who is known as the “Social Influencer.”
Desiree is the current INACSL president and has dedicated over a decade to tackle healthcare disparities. Her research focuses on combining cutting-edge simulation technology with the human emotion of empathy to foster more culturally competent providers, and ultimately improve care for underserved populations. Desiree is a tireless advocate for advancing healthcare simulation and is often seen sharing her amazing work on social media platforms. In 2023, her work was recognized with a UCF Luminary Award, given to faculty that are academic leaders in their field whose scholarship will have a significant impact on the world. She’s a trailblazer that is shaping the future of healthcare education.
Thank you Desiree for all of your amazing work!
Our next #simulationpioneer for Women’s History Month is Dr. Crystel Farina, who is known the “visionary” figure in the simulation industry.
Crystel recently changed positions from the Director of Simulation and Experiential Learning to a new leadership role as the Associate Dean for BSN Programs at George Washington University School of Nursing. Dr. Farina is the co- founder of SIMPLSImulation, a company that offers expertise in simulation center design, scenario development, and curriculum integration. Her visionary spirit has led her to advocate for standardized patient methodology across the nursing curriculum and fully integrate hybrid simulation with wearable simulators into maternal child portions of her graduate and BSN curriculums. Dr. Farina is an active volunteer for professional organizations, including the NLN, INACSL, SSH and GSN. She is a peer-reviewer for Clinical Simulation in Nursing and the NLN’s Nursing EDge Blog.
Thank you Dr. Farina for shaping the future of healthcare simulation education! We know that to know Crystel is to love her. This is your opportunity to share how Crystel has impacted you through the years!
Join us today in honoring Dr. Teresa Gore, known as an “advocator” in healthcare simulation dedicated to reshaping the educational landscape!
Teresa’s journey into Healthcare Simulation was like many others in the early 2000’s. Her institution needed someone to help out with the new technology in the simulation center. Her love and advocacy for the modality quickly grew her program and her sphere of influence. She served in many capacities on the INACSL Board of Directors and became the President 2015-2017. Additionally she has served on the certification and conference committees for SSH, leading IMSH 2024. She has authored or co-authored over 13 articles on healthcare simulation and advocated for the development of the Healthcare Standards of Best Practice.
Teresa recently accepted a position at Healthysimulation.com to ensure all of us in the simulation world are updated on the latest trends and advocate for good simulation across the globe.
Let’s come together to celebrate her commitment to excellence in simulation this Women’s History Month!
To close out Women’s History Month, today we highlight Alaina Herrington, an influential “integrator” in simulation.
Dr. Herrington recently joined MSU-Meridian as the Director of Simulation. She was tapped by MSU to launch their new, state of the art, interprofessional simulation center because she is an integrator. Her experience as an OR nurse profoundly impacted Alaina’s ability to break data and information down into smaller, more digestible pieces which enabled her to develop a formula that enabled her to determine the cost for each simulation done in her program. In 2017 she founded the Mississippi Academy for Simulation Training, where she created how to guides, simulation tools, exemplars, and simulation courses to assist other Simulationists on their journey toward excellence with certification and sim center accreditation.
For her tireless work, she was recognized in 2022 as an American Academy of Nursing Fellow, and was also recognized as UMMC’s 2022 Alumna of the Year for the School of Nursing. Her profound impact and detailed history in the simulation field make her a standout figure and an inspiration to future generations.
How has Alaina’s passion for healthcare simulation impacted your journey?