Jan. 13, 2025 – Orlando, Fla. Education Management Solutions (EMS), a leader in healthcare simulation and competency management platforms, announced the winners of the 16th Annual Excellence in Clinical Simulation Awards at its annual customer appreciation celebration. Held during the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH), the event recognized professionals who have made significant contributions to the field of simulation in healthcare education over the past year.
Education Management Solutions CEO Matt Merino reflected on the award presentation, saying, “As an organization we’re proud to have the opportunity to celebrate some of the best and most forward-thinking individuals and teams in healthcare simulation.”
The awards ceremony featured the presentation of three awards: The Pioneer Award, which honors a group or individual who actively engaged in pioneering new ways of clinical simulation training; the Advocate Award, which honors a group or individual who actively engaged in advocating learning through clinical simulation; and the Champion Award, which honors a group or individual who actively championed state-of-the-art clinical simulation technology.
The recipients of this year’s Excellence in Clinical Simulation Awards are:
The Pioneer Award
Chasity Caruso, MSP, LSUDC, CHSE
Associate Director- Office of Simulation in Medicine and Surgery, Women in Academic Leadership ERG- Chair, Rocky Vista University
Chasity Caruso is the Associate Director in the Office of Simulation in Medicine and Surgery for Rocky Vista University. In this role, Ms. Caruso provides leadership in simulation for multiple programs, departments, staff, and faculty across two campuses. Over the last few years, she has created and launched a standardized patient mentor program, increased virtual reality use on the Utah campus, and expanded simulation across clinical years for students.
The Advocate Award
The Team at the Moravian University Interprofessional Simulation Center
Deb Halliday, PhD, RN
Simulation Center Director
Jenny Landis, M.Ed
Simulation Educator
Dana Noll, EMT
Simulation Technician
Helen S. Breidegam School of Nursing & Public Health
A dynamic three-person team—Deb Halliday, PhD, RN (Simulation Center Director), Jenny Landis, M.Ed (Simulation Educator), and Dana Noll, EMT (Simulation Technician)—brings together expertise in simulation, nursing, and emergency medical services (EMS) with a shared commitment to student success. Passionate advocates for learners, they champion the integration of simulation into healthcare programs, recognizing its transformative role in developing clinical skills and confidence. Working collaboratively, they design simulation events that create a safe environment for students to advance step-by-step toward professional competency.
The Champion Award
Ronnie Stout, DNP, MBA, MSN, RN, CHSE
Director, Center for Simulation, Clinical Associate Professor, College of Nursing, The University of Texas at El Paso
As Director for the University of Texas at El Paso – Center for Simulation, Ronnie and his team provide operationally efficient, innovative skills and scenario-based learning opportunities to over 1000 interprofessional partners. Their flagship simulations are the Simulated Hospital Day (conducted over 700 times) and Open Lab (11,000 hours annually).
About Education Management Solutions (EMS):
Education Management Solutions is a leading provider in healthcare simulation and competency solutions. As a hardware and software-agnostic provider, EMS solutions integrate seamlessly with all top manikin manufacturers and learning management systems. EMS solutions offer the flexibility of both on-premises and cloud solutions and provide top-tier 24/7 live support to ensure optimal user experience in support of their mission to elevate the discipline of healthcare anytime, anywhere.