Simulation at Scale: What It Really Takes Behind the Scenes

Simulation at Scale: What It Really Takes Behind the Scenes

In this episode of Advancing Health Care Through Simulation, Lisa George is joined by Tom Waring and Bree Weyland from the NAIT Centre for Advanced Medical Simulation for a behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to deliver a large-scale, high-impact simulation experience. The conversation centers on a recent Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) simulation, which brought together over 115 students from multiple health disciplines across Alberta. Designed around a realistic building collapse scenario, the simulation required learners to collaborate across the full continuum of care—from on-scene triage with paramedics and firefighters to treatment in both rural and tertiary hospital environments. Tom and Bree walk through how this complex event was built from the ground up, offering insight into the often unseen role of simulation technologists (SimTechs) in designing, coordinating, and executing immersive learning environments. Key themes explored in this episode include: * how early involvement in planning shapes what’s possible in simulation design * the process of building realistic patient characters to drive clinical decision-making * the importance of standardized patient (SP) preparation and consistency at scale * how makeup, environment design, and storytelling contribute to immersion * managing real-time communication across a distributed simulation environment * adapting on the fly when carefully planned scenarios inevitably break down * how learners evolve from individuals into high-functioning teams under pressure * the growing role of AI tools (like in-house platforms) in simulation development * the future of the SimTech profession as it expands into design, research, and education This episode highlights that simulation is not just about equipment or scenarios—it’s about people, planning, adaptability, and creating environments where learners can safely experience the complexity of real-world healthcare. About: NAIT Centre for Advanced Medical Simulation – Visit here [https://www.nait.ca/centre-for-advanced-medical-simulation] This series was produced by Road 55 in Edmonton, Alberta – Learn more at: road55.ca [https://road55.ca/]

Simulation, Systems and the Future of Surgical Care

In this episode of Advancing Health Care Through Simulation, Lisa George is joined by Tara Klassen, Innovation Lead for Surgical Care Alberta. With a provincial lens and a systems-level perspective, Tara works across programs, pathways, portfolios, and geographies to help clinical and operational leaders navigate what she calls “big, weird, shared, complex decisions.” Tara explains why innovation in surgical care is about much more than introducing a new device or technology. It is about understanding what that innovation makes possible across the entire continuum of care, from referral and diagnostics through the operating room, inpatient recovery, and into community and home care. Her work focuses on helping teams align around uncertainty, clarify shared goals, and move from ideas to actionable recommendations that are safe, feasible, and sustainable within a complex public health system. Throughout the conversation, Tara unpacks some of the biggest barriers to implementing innovation, including funding structures, procurement realities, workflow disruption, and the challenge of introducing change in a system designed to manage risk. She also makes a compelling case for simulation as a core tool in innovation, not just for training, but for testing, validating, and scaling new approaches across both urban and rural settings. Key themes in this episode include: * why innovation must be understood at a systems and pathway level * the importance of early engagement with the health system * how shared language and shared vision drive successful collaboration * why simulation should be embedded across the entire innovation lifecycle * what sustainable surgical innovation looks like over the next decade * how Health Everywhere Hub and A-MEDICO are shaping Alberta’s innovation ecosystem This episode offers a practical and insightful look at how innovation actually happens inside complex health systems, and what it takes to move from concept to real-world impact. About: NAIT Centre for Advanced Medical Simulation – Visit here [https://www.nait.ca/centre-for-advanced-medical-simulation] This series was produced by Road 55 in Edmonton, Alberta – Learn more at: road55.ca [https://road55.ca/]

From Research to Real World: Dr. Mary Brindle on Surgical Innovation

In this episode of Advancing Health Care Through Simulation, Lisa George speaks with Dr. Mary Brindle, pediatric surgeon, health systems researcher, and internationally recognized leader in surgical quality improvement and innovation. Dr. Brindle shares how her clinical work and research have led her to focus on one of the most complex spaces in health care: the operating room. Surgical care is high risk, resource intensive, and deeply dependent on the interaction between people, processes, and technology. That makes it one of the most important places to study how innovation can improve outcomes. The conversation explores the origins of the Health Everywhere Hub, a province-wide initiative designed to bring together clinicians, engineers, digital health experts, community partners, and researchers to solve major health challenges in Alberta. Dr. Brindle reflects on what it was like to move beyond traditional research approaches and work in a faster, more iterative innovation model shaped by collaboration with industry and innovation partners. Lisa and Dr. Brindle also discuss the concept of the Living Lab in health care, and why testing innovation in real clinical and community settings matters so much. Rather than relying only on tightly controlled pilots, Living Labs allow teams to understand how technologies actually fit into workflows, how they are adopted by users, and where they need to change before they can succeed at scale. Other key themes in the episode include: * Why collaboration across professions and sectors is essential for meaningful innovation * The biggest challenges currently facing OR teams in Canada * Why access, equity, communication, and evidence-based care remain core priorities * How bureaucracy slows innovation when frontline voices are not fully part of decision-making. * The opportunity Alberta has to lead in surgical innovation by creating adaptable, innovation-ready environments This episode is a thoughtful look at what it takes to move from good ideas to real-world impact in surgical care, and why the future of innovation depends on clinicians, researchers, industry, and patients working together. About: NAIT Centre for Advanced Medical Simulation – Visit here [https://www.nait.ca/centre-for-advanced-medical-simulation] This series was produced by Road 55 in Edmonton, Alberta – Learn more at: road55.ca [https://road55.ca/]

Building Accessible Simulation for All: The SIMAI Health Model

In this episode of Advancing Health Care Through Simulation, host Lisa George is joined by Dr. Mohamed Benfatah, a healthcare simulation researcher and the founder of SIM AI Health, an innovative initiative based in Morocco. Dr. Benfatah is pioneering the integration of artificial intelligence with simulation to transform health care education particularly in resource-limited settings. From nurse anesthetist to simulation educator, Dr. Benfatah shares how simulation reveals the invisible forces in health care, team dynamics, decision-making and communication as well as why it's critical for improving patient safety. He outlines his three core reasons simulation works: turning knowledge into action, engaging emotional memory, and creating reflective learning. The conversation explores: * The unique challenges of scaling simulation training across Africa and the Francophone world * How AI is being used to personalize training, generate realistic scenarios, and support clinical reasoning * Why he sees AI not as a replacement, but as an assistant to human judgment * His approach to modular, accessible, and locally tailored simulation models * What excites him most about the future of AI, simulation, and extended reality in healthcare education Whether you’re a simulation specialist or new to AI, Dr. Benfatah’s global perspective offers fresh insight into how technology and heart can work hand-in-hand to make simulation more equitable and impactful around the world. About: NAIT Centre for Advanced Medical Simulation – Visit [https://www.nait.ca/centre-for-advanced-medical-simulation] This series was produced by Road 55 in Edmonton, Alberta – Learn more at: road55.ca [https://road55.ca/]

A-MEDICO: Translating MedTech Innovation to Impact

In this special on-location episode of Advancing Health Care Through Simulation, host Lisa George brings you conversations from “Translating Innovation: A-MEDICO Meets Alberta MedTech Industry,” an event designed to spark connections between researchers, trainees, and industry partners working at the intersection of health innovation and medical device development in Alberta. Funded by the Alberta Ministry of Technology and Innovation, A-MEDICO is a major collaborative initiative led by the University of Calgary, with support from the University of Alberta, Red Deer Polytechnic, the University of Lethbridge, and NAIT’s Centre for Advanced Medical Simulation (CAMS). The goal: unite the province’s post-secondaries, industry partners, and underserved communities to accelerate Alberta’s medical technology ecosystem. Lisa speaks with five key voices from across the innovation pipeline — from early-stage student researchers to experienced entrepreneurs and innovation leaders: Ben Millen - VP of Design, Tangent Design Engineering Ben shares how Tangent helps early scientific ideas move from napkin sketch to real-world medical devices. He explores the challenges of scale-up, regulatory compliance, and building products that are not only functional but manufacturable, safe, and clinically useful. Stephanie Dang - Graduate Student, Biomedical Engineering, University of Calgary Stephanie reflects on her transition from biochemistry to biomedical engineering and how automation, collaboration, and mentorship are shaping her journey as a medtech innovator. Dr. Lindsey Westover - Associate Professor & Associate Dean, Faculty of Engineering, UCalgary Dr. Westover discusses her work developing BackScanner, a low-cost mobile app that uses 3D imaging to monitor scoliosis without X-rays. She highlights the power of open access tools, clinician partnerships, and user-centered design. Dr. John Wong - CEO & Co-Founder, Fluid Biomed Inc. Dr. Wong shares the extraordinary journey of creating the world’s first bioabsorbable stent for treating brain aneurysms. From surgical insight to startup CEO, he opens up about navigating commercialization, investor alignment, and scaling a life-saving innovation. Dr. Michael Kallos - Professor and Department Head, Biomedical Engineering, UCalgary As the architect of A-MEDICO, Dr. Kallos explains how the program creates one big lab across Alberta — connecting students, researchers, polytechnics, and industry under a unified vision for medtech innovation. From translating research into reality to empowering Alberta’s next generation of innovators, this episode is a powerful look at how simulation, collaboration, and bold ideas are reshaping what’s possible in health care. About: NAIT Centre for Advanced Medical Simulation – Visit [https://www.nait.ca/centre-for-advanced-medical-simulation] This series was produced by Road 55 in Edmonton, Alberta – Learn more at: road55.ca [https://road55.ca/]