Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS)

Every great simulation has a story.
Not just the scenarios.
Not just the technology.

The people.

The Healthcare Simulation Operations professionals who make it all possible.
The educators who inspire.
The innovators who challenge convention.
The technicians who solve problems before anyone notices.
The leaders who imagine what's next.

As we count down to SimOps 2026: IGNITE, we're pulling back the curtain to introduce some of the people shaping the future of Healthcare Simulation Operations.

🎬 The Faces of SimOps—our special conference spotlight series—begins next week.

In the days leading up to SimOps 2026: IGNITE, we'll be sharing the stories, perspectives, and passion of the professionals who power simulation every day.

Hundreds of simulation professionals.
One shared mission: advancing healthcare simulation through innovation, collaboration, and operational excellence.

See you at SimOps 2026: IGNITE!
𝑪𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝑺𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑶𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔.


USF Health-University of South Florida Society for Simulation in Healthcare

Last week, members of the USF Health Center for Advanced Medical Learning & Simulation (CAMLS) and Tampa General Hospital team traveled to Tokyo, Japan to participate in the 2026 Asia-Pacific Chapter of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (APELSO) Conference, an international gathering of more than 500 leaders, researchers, clinicians, and educators dedicated to advancing extracorporeal life support worldwide.

We are proud to recognize Emily Arentz, MSN, APRN, AGACNP-BC, E-AEC, Nurse Practitioner with the Tampa General Hospital ECMO Service Line, who led the presentation of a collaborative educational initiative developed by Tampa General Hospital and CAMLS. Emily was joined by Dr. Yasuharu Okuda and Joel Shoemaker, MMS, PA-C, in sharing this work with an international audience of ECMO experts and educators.

Their presentation, "Training the ECMO Team, Not Just the Clinician: An Interprofessional Education Model," highlighted the development, implementation, and outcomes of the ECMO Lifesavers course, an innovative interprofessional education program designed and delivered through a partnership between Tampa General Hospital's ECMO Service Line and CAMLS.

Recognizing that ECMO care depends on coordinated decision-making across multiple disciplines, the course was intentionally designed to train entire care teams rather than individual clinicians. Physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, perfusionists, ECMO specialists, simulation educators, and instructional designers collaborated to create an immersive learning experience featuring high-fidelity simulation, interprofessional case discussions, and structured debriefing focused on communication, role clarity, and shared decision-making.

The presentation shared encouraging outcomes from the program, including increased learner confidence, improved understanding of team roles, and strong intentions among participants to apply lessons learned to clinical practice. The findings reinforce the value of simulation-based, interprofessional education in preparing teams to manage the complexities of ECMO care.

We are honored to have this collaborative work featured on the international stage and grateful for the partnership between Tampa General Hospital and CAMLS that made this program possible.

Congratulations to Emily, Haru, Joel, and the entire project team on representing our organizations and advancing the future of team-based ECMO education.

USF Health-University of South Florida Tampa General Hospital