Meet The ASPiH Executive Comittee
ASPiH Executive Committee - Are you interested in joining the Exec?
Please see link below to submit an expression of interest
We have recently expanded our Executive Committee (EC) to help us support the growth of ASPiH as a professional membership organisation.
We are currently recruiting for three posts:
1. Journal Liaison Lead
2. Standards and Accreditation committee member
3. Patient Engagement Lead
We would be delighted to hear from you and discuss your interest in the role further.
Please click HERE to register your interest in joining our Executive Committee
Executive Directors
Colette is the deputy director for the simulation and interactive learning centre at Guys & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London where she takes a lead role in faculty development and inter-professional programmes including patient safety on the wards and community settings, reducing restraint and safer tracheostomy care.
Colette specialised in intensive care nursing before moving into education and practice development positions. She has kept strong professional & clinical links within acute & critical care and served on the national Board of the British Association of Critical Care Nurses (BACCN) for over 20 years.
Colette has recently become the President of the Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare, an interprofessional membership organisation for educators working in patient safety and interactive learning methods.
Colette has been involved in Simulation based education since 2009 and has a special interest in debriefing in SBE and Clinical Human Factors. She continues to develop her skills through peer coaching and reflective practice, and has undertaken several training programmes to further her own skills in this modality including the CMS Instructors course (2016) CMS feedback course (2020) and the Debriefing Academy’s Master Debriefer Course (2021).
Colette’s non-working passions are local green spaces and her three miniature schnauzers who lead her a merry dance at times but also allow her to go to wonderful places and meet other schnauzer pawrents #schnauzerfest. Colette volunteers in her two local parks and does anything from litter picking to campaigning for new trees and organising community events such as Easter, Music and Paws in the Park family fundraisers.
Sharon Weldon is a Professor in Healthcare Simulation and Workforce Development. She leads the Centre for Professional Workforce Development and Simulation Group, and is Associate Head for the School of Health Sciences (Research and Knowledge Exchange) at the University of Greenwich.
She holds honorary positions with Imperial College London and Barts Health NHS Trust, and is an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Healthcare Simulation (IJoHS).
Her simulation interests and expertise are focused on Simulation-Based Research, Sequential Simulation (simulation that is concerned with recreating the longitudinal, sequential and time related elements of healthcare), Transformative Simulation (an umbrella term for simulation approaches that transform healthcare through the involvement of stakeholders for purposes such as testing interventions and improvement initiatives, designing new models of care, problem solving issues around the integration of care, considering care from the patients perspective, comparing and contrasting healthcare with other sectors, addressing complex care issues, and decision-making), and Distributed Simulation (portable, low-cost simulation equipment that enables simulation activities to not be confined by location and equipment).
She has obtained prestigious grants, published widely, and received many awards related to the advancement of simulation.
Job titles
Chair, N Ireland Simulation and Human Factors Network (NISHFN)
Lead Educator, Simulation-based Education and Technology Enhanced Learning, N Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency (NIMDTA)
Honorary Senior Lecturer, School of Medicine, Queen’s University, Belfast
Committee member, Irish Association for Simulation (IAS)
Consultant (Anaesthesia) Craigavon Area Hospital
Mike is a consultant anaesthetist and the Lead Educator for simulation-based education and technology-enhanced learning at the N Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency (NIMDTA).
Mike first became involved with simulation-based education in 1999 while working in Perth, Western Australia, where he carried out research at the Univ. of Western Australia’s simulation centre as part of his Master’s degree in Medical Education. Upon his return to N Ireland, Mike was instrumental in establishing the N Ireland Clinical Simulation Centre in 2001 and subsequently became NICSC director. Mike has considerable experience in course development and debriefing skills and is currently involved with a number of regional projects aimed at developing the interprofessional approach to human factors training.
Mike is the current Chair of the N Ireland Simulation and Human Factors Network (NISHFN) and is a committee member of the Irish Association for Simulation. He is particularly interested in how simulation-based education can be used to underpin healthcare human factors training, improve patient safety and disseminate learning from adverse incident analysis.
Mike has been a keen oarsman since his student days and, in what spare time he has, still enjoys nothing more than ‘messing about in boats’ (while his knees still hold out).
Kevin has worked in the simulation community at a national and international level for 15 years.
Kevin is the lead for Clinical Skills and Simulation at the School of Health Sciences at the University of Dundee. He has keen interests in faculty development, interprofessional education, simulation co-design and Quality Improvement.
Kevin is the Commercial Partnerships and Projects lead for ASPiH.
This role was created to develop long-term collaborative partnerships with commercial organisations across the UK to develop programmes of activity which address some of the current challenges in healthcare practice or education.
Previously, Kevin was a member of the board of directors for the Global Network for Simulation in Healthcare and was also a member of the original ASPiH executive committee from 2010 – 2015.
Executive Members
Carla Sá Couto is a clinical simulation educator and researcher with a background in Biomedical Engineering. She has been a passionate simulation advocate, for over 20 years. In her early career, she was privileged to integrate a pivotal research team aiming the development of simulation technology and simulation-based educational programs, and was one instrumental element in the implementation of the first simulation centre in Portugal (2003). In 2010, she shifted her interests from technology to education, and started a full-time position as coordinator of Biomedical Simulation Center of the Faculty of Medicine of University of Porto (FMUP). From 2014 to 2022, she was the FMUP simulation lead responsible for the integration of simulation in the undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing education programmes.
Currently, she is a senior researcher at the Center for Research in Health Technologies and Services (CINTESIS@RISE), and simulation advisor and affiliated professor at FMUP, being responsible for several simulation-based national and international research projects and pre- and post-graduation courses. Her research and teaching interests are the development educational tools and strategies for clinical simulation, faculty development, and, more recently, exploring the impact of skills training on healthcare providers' attitudes/behaviours.
She contributes to several scientific societies and initiatives. Since 2001, she is a member of SESAM (Society in Europe for Simulation Applied to Medicine). In 2017, she was appointed chair of SESAM Scientific Committee (5-years term), being responsible for re-structuring the committee and provide scientific standards for the annual congress. Currently, she is the chair of the European Simulation Research Network (SiReN), a SESAM initiative. Since February 2022, she is a member of the Executive Committee of the Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare (ASPiH), being the Conference Director of ASPiH 2023.
She is a nature lover and a handywoman. She loves to spend time outdoors with her 2 teenager daughters and husband, reconstructing their small farm house and caring their veggie garden.
Charles is the Head of Technical Learning and Support at the University of Greenwich and serves as the Technical Director of The Greenwich Learning and Simulation Centre (GLASC) with over two decades of experience in Surgical/Clinical Skills and Simulation, running and developing medical and surgical courses across a wide range of disciplines. Activities include the development and delivery of course and simulation material as well as filming and development of online material of live procedures for national and international events
Charles has a vast amount of experience in developing simulation spaces, understanding clinical objectives in bridging AV requirements to deliver technology enhanced learning, for best practice in Healthcare Education. Charles has successfully developed three flagship training centres for a hybrid teaching approach. Working closely with stakeholders, and industry partners to ensure maximum exposure, best practise and income generating revenues are realised.
Projects Charles has consulted on are as follows:
- Education Design Board for Redevelopment of OR integrated Main Operating Theatres - King's College Hospital
- Design Board for Redevelopment of the ACCESS Unit, now The Weston SaIL Centre - Denmark Hill campus, King's College London
- Redevelopment of the Chantler SaIL Centre - Guys campus, Kings College London
- Design Board for STEC project - Guys and St. Thomas' Trust
- Lead Design Consultant for the GLASC - University of Greenwich
- Lead Design Consultant Redevelopment of Clinical teaching spaces - Medway Campus, University of Greenwich
- Lead Technical Design Consultant for the CCU (Critical Care Unit) – Avery Hill, University of Greenwich
- Technical Consultant for the redevelopment of Simulated Spaces- Northampton University
Jane is a General Practitioner (GP) and works clinically in Sussex. She holds roles as Faculty Education Lead for the Royal College of General Practitioners Southeast Thames Faculty, GP Tutor in West Kent and is Deputy Chair of West Kent Training Hub.
She has been involved with simulation since 2018 when she developed pilot sessions, with the assistance of the simulation team at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Hospital, to assess the applicability of simulation for primary care in West Kent. The pilots were very successful with highly positive feedback and affirmation of an appetite and need for simulation training for primary care teams.
Jane was integral in developing simulation training on the recognition and management of anaphylaxis, which was offered to all the covid vaccination hubs in West Kent run by Primary Care Networks (PCNs) in 2021. Following this she was appointed as the Kent Surrey and Sussex (KSS) GP Fellow in Simulation to develop simulation across the region for all primary care staff. She leads the interprofessional KSS Primary Care Simulation Faculty to deliver training both in situ to GP practices and PCNs, and in simulation suites in Trusts across the KSS region, with the support of the KSS Primary Care School and Training Hubs.
She is keen to explore opportunities to work with others delivering simulation in primary, social and community care settings.
When not at work Jane loves walking with family, friends, and her constantly exuberant and optimistic Labrador.
Lorraine is a Senior Lecturer in Simulation and Immersive Learning at Oxford Brookes University where she works across the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences to embed simulation and technology enhanced learning within their healthcare programmes.
She is a registered nurse with a background in acute care specialising in intensive care and resuscitation before moving into higher education. She is an instructor for the Resuscitation Council UK teaching on both their Immediate and Advanced Life Support courses. She is experienced in teaching across a wide range of professional groups and facilitating inter-professional learning at both a pre and post registration level.
She completed her MSc in Clinical Education in 2021 with her dissertation focusing on the experiences of pre-registration student nurses when a digital approach was used for the teaching and learning of procedural skills.
Lorraine is interested in the use of simulation to promote inter-professional teamworking, faculty and workforce development, and learning through simulated practice. She has worked with Health Education England to produce e-learning materials for their ‘Becoming Simulation Faculty programme’ which supports multi professional educators, practitioners, technicians and managers from higher education institutions (HEIs) and NHS organisations who want to design and deliver simulation and immersive learning.
She is married with three children and recently took up an allotment so tries to spend as much time as possible there and hopes to harvest fruit, vegetable and cut flowers over the next year.
Mary Holding, BA (Hons), MSc
Mary is a Simulation Technician for West Herts Initiative in Simulation Education and Research (WiSER) at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals Trust.
Mary has an undergraduate degree in Multimedia Journalism and has experience in marketing, online and print journalism which includes producing multimedia projects and design. Following joining West Herts Trust, Mary gained experience with multiple education departments before becoming the Trust’s first Simulation Technician in 2018.
She has helped shape the department into a successful service which provides programmes for multidisciplinary teams internally and externally from the Trust. Her passion for education and human factors is a constant in all projects and future ideas for the service.
Mary gained her MSc in Health and Medical Simulation from the University of Hertfordshire in 2022, with a focus on facilitating simulation, human factors, and debriefing. Mary has also recently become a coach for the Trust’s Coaching Service.
Mary is currently managing a Simulation Technician Apprentice; coaching and providing them with experiences that underpin their knowledge to establish their future career in simulation based education. This ties in with Mary’s goals as a representative of Technicians: highlight career paths and empower the community to develop in the field of simulation.
When not working, Mary enjoys spending time with her friends and family, two dogs, going to concerts and reading.
Naomi is a Diagnostic Radiographer by background. She is a Professor and the Faculty Director of Simulation across Medicine and Health Sciences at Keele University. Naomi has 13 years clinical experience prior to moving into education in 2013. Naomi’s passion for simulation developed from her award-winning research introducing students to patients with burns using moulage. This led her on a slightly longer journey to complete a doctorate in professional practice focusing on ‘The role of simulation and moulage on emotional labour in first-year diagnostic radiography students when seeing open wounds in a clinical setting’.
Naomi’s expertise in simulation has been recognised on an international scale, with regular invitations to speak at conferences. She has several publications and authored a chapter on simulation use for the radiography profession.
Naomi chairs the Society of Radiographers simulation specialist Interest group, chairing a quarterly webinar with an international audience to share and develop their simulated practice. She sits on two editorial boards, ‘Insight’ (UK) and ‘The South African Radiographer’ (SA), and has advisory roles for the Society of Radiographer ‘Radiographic informatics group’ and ‘Virtual Medical Coaching’ (New Zealand).
Naomi collaborates with other discipline areas, her contribution, support and guidance has been recognised with the following awards, lecturer of the year, a National Teaching Fellowship, and the Senior Fellowship with Advanced HE.
Naomi spends her personal time with her family and two dogs, and reluctantly tries to keep fit with running.
Nathan is a nurse, an educationalist, a leader and an innovator with a passion to make things better. Nathan has a breadth of experience in simulation-based pedagogy which has been forged over time through a career as a specialist and leader in healthcare simulation across a variety of leadership and faculty development roles.
Returning with his family to Australia in 2023 following almost a decade living in the United Kingdom, his career incorporated local, regional and national simulation leadership roles, including roles in NHS Lothian in Edinburgh, the Scottish Centre for Simulation and Clinical Human Factors (SCSCHF), and NHS Education for Scotland (NES). He was also the founding Programme Director of the Graduate Certificate of Simulation Based Clinical Education at the University of Edinburgh.
Nathan now lives and works in Australia, as the Simulation Convenor at the University of Canberra's Faculty of Health, based within the Discipline of Nursing. Nathan is a regular contributor to National and European simulation bodies and conferences and consults internationally on simulation design and educational briefing.
Professor Paul O’Connor is a human factors psychologist and Personal Professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Galway, Ireland.
He is the Research Director of the Irish Centre for Applied Patient Safety and Simulation, and Co-Director of the Diploma/Masters in Healthcare Simulation and Patient Safety.
His research, and teaching, are concerned with improving human performance and safety in high-risk work environments.
He has carried out research in a wide range industries and the military.
In recent years his research and teaching has focused on the human factors that contribute to patient safety and quality of care.
Robyn is a cardiorespiratory specialist physiotherapist by background, with clinical expertise in critical care and surgery. Her PhD is in the area of upper gastrointestinal cancer prehabilitation.
She joined the academic world in 2008, where she was involved in prequalifying physiotherapy education as a senior lecturer and subject coordinator, and has recently achieved Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy.
Robyn is passionate about simulation-based education and research, to enhance complex reasoning, patient safety, inter-professional learning and workforce development.
One of her simulation highlights was completing the “Simulation as a teaching tool” course delivered by Jenny Rudolph and CMS colleagues in May 2017. This course helped to build on existing knowledge, develop confidence and ability to deliver and teach simulation-based learning. She was the first physiotherapist to complete this course – highlighting the under-representation of AHPs in this area.
In her physiotherapy lecturer role, she
gradually and sustainably integrated simulation across the physiotherapy programmes, supporting team members to become proficient with debriefing, as well as mentoring and upskilling staff to enable high quality simulation provision across the Faculty. The physiotherapy programme team received commendations for their simulation delivery at their most recent revalidation event.
In her current role as Principal Lecturer in clinical skills, simulation and immersive technology at Oxford Brookes, Robyn leads a brilliant team of academics, technicians and support staff in the delivery of simulation and immersive practice. She oversees the simulation provision and research aspect of simulation across a diverse range of AHP professions, nursing and social work, as well as collaborations with local hospital acute and community trusts and Oxford University Medical School.