Our Team

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Our interprofessional team of world-class faculty are dedicated to providing transformative, engaging, and thought-provoking learning experiences that will enhance your debriefing skills.

Our faculty are:

Leaders who build programs
Innovators who inspire change
Researchers who inform the future
Educators who train the next generation
Mentors who coach for excellence
Clinicians who serve on the front lines

Heather Wolfe

- Faculty -

Clinician, Researcher,
Educator

TDA

Heather Wolfe

Faculty Clinician, Researcher,
Educator

Heather Wolfe is a pediatric intensivist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Director of Quality Improvement for the department. Her passions include systems thinking, harnessing the knowledge of frontline staff and improving care delivered to children in the ICU. Heather’s research includes studies on the use and learnings from clinical event debriefing in the hospital. When she is not debriefing she loves to hike with her four-legged best friend Liberty Bell (after all they are in Philadelphia), gardening and binge watching Netflix.

Bram Welch-Horan

- Faculty -

Educator, Innovator,
Researcher

TDA

Bram Welch-Horan

Faculty Educator, Innovator,
Researcher

Bram leads clinical event debriefing initiatives and educational simulation programs, and is interested in building better bridges between these two areas of work. He is a pediatric emergency physician at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX, USA) and directs the simulation program for the pediatric emergency center there. His teaching and research interests relate to psychological safety in simulation and clinical debriefing, deliberate practice as a foundation for expertise, team-based training to improve resuscitation, and building synergy between translational simulation and clinical event debriefing.

Eve Purdy

- Faculty -

Clinician, Researcher,
Leader

TDA

Eve Purdy

Faculty Clinician, Researcher,
Leader

Eve Purdy is a Canadian emergency physician, research fellow, and applied anthropologist at the Gold Coast University Hospital. While training in Emergency Medicine she completed a Master's in Applied Anthropology through the University of North Texas and a fellowship in translational simulation and team performance at Gold Coast University Hospital. She draws on tools in anthropology and simulation to explore the messy intersections of people and their work. In different contexts including trauma, emergency department response to COVID-19, obstetrics - she is working to understand and shape organizational culture and high performing teams. You can find her on twitter @purdy_eve.

David Kessler

- Faculty -

Researcher, Innovator,
Leader

TDA

David Kessler

Faculty Researcher, Innovator,
Leader

David Kessler is a practicing Pediatric Emergency Medicine physician in New York City. A longtime student of the growing art & science of simulation, his experience with simulation-based medical education, patient outcome oriented research, and quality improvement has resulted in numerous grant-funded studies and peer-reviewed publications.

As one of the co-founders for INSPIRE, (International Network for Simulation-based Pediatric Innovation, Research and Education) an international pediatric research network focused on outcome oriented simulation research in acute care, resuscitation and skills—Dr. Kessler has helped to grow a community of practice dedicated to collaboration and mentorship among investigators committed to scholarship in simulation.

Michaela Kolbe

- Faculty -

Leader, Researcher,
Educator

TDA

Michaela Kolbe

Faculty Leader, Researcher,
Educator

Michaela is a psychologist and the director of the simulation center of the University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. She has a PhD in psychology and is a faculty member of ETH Zurich. Her interests include the social dynamics of “speaking up” across the authority gradient and across disciplines in healthcare, as well as faculty development in simulation. Michaela wanted to become both an ice figure skater and an artist. She landed in medical education where she obsesses with research-informed debriefing.

Vincent Grant

- Faculty -

Leader, Educator,
Innovator

TDA

Vincent Grant

Faculty Leader, Educator,
Innovator

Vince has always been a curious guy who has a strong desire to understand the “whys” of life. He has applied his curiosity while serving as a healthcare leader in various capacities throughout his career. Vince is excited to share his experiences in debriefing and feedback. He has taught all over the world and collaborated on many publications related to the art of debriefing. Vince loves the outdoors - whether it is hiking, fishing, skiing or camping - he is fortunate to have a family who loves the outdoors just as much! He must be raising future debriefers given the frequency of the word “why” in the Grant household.

Walter Eppich

- Faculty -

Leader, Researcher,
Educator

TDA

Walter Eppich

Faculty Leader, Researcher,
Educator

Walter has a passion for all aspects of conversational learning, both in his clinical work as a pediatric emergency physician and as an educationalist. He has a PhD in Medical Education and focuses on how talk within teams influences learning and performance in both simulated and clinical workplace settings. Through his collaborations, publications, teaching and podcasts, Walter loves helping clinical and simulation educators achieve their debriefing potential. In the spring of 2018, Walter completed a field campaign to Antarctica to study teamwork in extreme environments.

Michael Meguerdichian

- Faculty -

Educator, Innovator,
Mentor

TDA

Michael Meguerdichian

Faculty Educator, Innovator,
Mentor

Michael is an Emergency Physician and Medical Educator at Harlem Hospital Center and H+H Simulation Center and an Assistant Professor at Columbia University School of Medicine. Michael’s interests include debriefing workload and cognitive load, as well as faculty development and cognitive aids. He is working towards building a simulation center focused on delivering simulation education to promote health literacy in the community. Michael wanted to be a comic book artist growing up. His path landed him in MedEd where he obsesses about making content sticky.

Susan Eller

- Faculty -

Leader, Educator,
Researcher

TDA

Susan Eller

Faculty Leader, Educator,
Researcher

Susan developed her passion for simulation and debriefing as a nurse educator for emergency medicine residents, nurses, and paramedics. Her quest to ensure safe containers for simulation learning led to her current PhD research exploring the psychological safety experienced by nurses in their prelicensure curricula. She currently provides faculty development and program oversight as the assistant dean for immersive and simulation-based learning at Stanford School of Medicine. She thrives on shared learning, especially during instructor courses with engaged faculty/participants and monthly science kit projects with her inquisitive grandchildren.

Adam Cheng

- Faculty -

Leader, Researcher,
Innovator

TDA

Adam Cheng

Faculty Leader, Researcher,
Innovator

Adam has an intense passion for debriefing that he hopes to share during the Debriefing Academy courses. He enjoys digging deeper, understanding who people are, where they are coming from, why they are doing what they do. He has shared his ideas in publications, book chapters, lectures, workshops and podcasts. The thing he loves most about work is collaborating and learning from others - colleagues and students alike. He is a hockey dad who is vicariously living out his childhood dreams through his two energetic children.

Komal Bajaj

- Faculty -

Innovator, Catalyst,
Advocate

TDA

Komal Bajaj

Faculty Innovator, Catalyst,
Advocate

Komal Bajaj is an OB/GYN-geneticist, simulationista, and chief quality officer in New York City. She finds the human side of change truly fascinating and believes that simulation and debriefing are powerful techniques to build agency. Komal is laser focused on healthcare transformation and her elementary-aged twins are her wellspring of inspiration on why and how to be better.

Ben Symon

- Faculty -

Educator, Innovator,
Clinician

TDA

Ben Symon

Faculty Educator, Innovator,
Clinician

Ben Symon is a Paediatric Emergency Physician and Simulation Consultant at Queensland Children’s Hospital. He is a co-producer for the podcast Simulcast where he facilitates the world’s largest online, open access journal club on simulation literature. He finds true joy in translating lessons from academic experts to clinical educators working hard at the coal face of patient care, where those who often teach rarely get the chance to focus on their own development.

Ian Summers

- Faculty -

Educator, Innovator,
Leader

TDA

Ian Summers

Faculty Educator, Innovator,
Leader

Ian Summers is an Emergency Physician, medical educator and serves as director of a simulation program in Melbourne, Australia. He loves exploring and understanding the complexities, decisions and culture of clinical teams through debriefing and scenario design and has an unusual talent for taking simulation onto the stage for large audience presentations. At conferences he often combines speaking and delivery of workshops with his passion for conference photography and you will find him happiest travelling, bushwalking and viewing wildlife with camera in hand.

Jennifer Arnold

- Faculty -

Advocate, Innovator,
Researcher

TDA

Jennifer Arnold

Faculty Advocate, Innovator,
Researcher

Jennifer (Jen) Arnold is a neonatologist, simulationista, and medical director for simulation at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. Jen believes in the power of media, innovation, and simulation to save lives. Her mantra is to err is human, to simulate divine. She is passionate about bringing simulation to healthcare providers, but also non-healthcare providers, directly to our patients and families. In her side hustle as a reality TV star, she tries to break down barriers so her kids and all kids have an opportunity to be free of bias and reach their full potential in life.

Jonathan Duff

- Faculty -

Researcher, Educator,
Clinician

TDA

Jonathan Duff

Faculty Researcher, Educator,
Clinician

Jonathan Duff is a full-time Pediatric Intensivist and Associate Professor at the Stollery Children’s Hospital. He is currently the director for Pediatric simulation for Stollery Children’s Hospital and the Director of the Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Training Program at the University of Alberta. He has been involved in ILCOR and the AHA as a task force member and is currently the Chair of the Pediatric Guidelines Writing Group. He recently completed a Masters in Health Science Education and is currently enrolled in a PhD in Measurement, Evaluation and Cognition at the University of Alberta.

Kellie Bryant

- Faculty -

Leader, Innovator,
Clinician

TDA

Kellie Bryant

Faculty Leader, Innovator,
Clinician

Kellie is currently the Executive Director of Simulation and Assistant Professor at Columbia University’s Helene Health Trust Simulation Center. Her past experience includes designing simulation centers and implementing simulation programs for two renowned schools of nursing. Her current interests include interprofessional simulations and developing simulation activities that address health inequities. Originally, she considered a career in mortuary science however she ultimately decided to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps and enter the nursing profession.

Paul Mullan

- Faculty -

Clinician, Innovator,
Researcher

TDA

Paul Mullan

Faculty Clinician, Innovator,
Researcher

Paul loves to collaborate and learn alongside people who share similar clinical event debriefing interests in this burgeoning field. He is a pediatric emergency medicine physician and the Director of Quality Improvement in the ED at the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters. Paul teams up with colleagues to use debriefings, briefings, and other interventions to improve the quality and experience of providing care. He is a huge fan of Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge to create lasting change. Whether on the local beach or in their backyard, Paul and his (psychologist) wife can often be found co-debriefing one of their 3 young children on their latest tragedy or triumph of the day.

Jan Schmutz

- Faculty -

Researcher, Innovator,
Leader

TDA

Jan Schmutz

Faculty Researcher, Innovator,
Leader

Jan holds a PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. He works as a senior researcher and lecturer at the ETH Zurich. Jan studies how teamwork and in particular team reflection helps teams manage crisis situations in extreme environments. In his research he investigated military rescue teams, medical emergency teams as well as Antarctica expedition teams. Further, Jan is involved in collaborations with the European Space Agency as well as NASA in order to identify success factors for crews on long duration space missions. As a healthcare simulation educator, he facilitates regular team trainings in healthcare institutions around Europe.

Jesse Spurr

- Faculty -

Educator, Clinician,
Innovator

TDA

Jesse Spurr

Faculty Educator, Clinician,
Innovator

Jesse’s substantive work is as a Clinical Nurse in a combined adult and paediatric Intensive Care Unit in Queensland. He uses much of his discretionary time doing “volunteer” work in the form of conference organising, co-producing free, open-access healthcare simulation podcast Simulcast, and producing nursing practice development blog and podcast Injectable Orange. Jesse has a publication record and research interest in online communities of practice in health professional education. An exercise science graduate, sport and functional fitness tragic, Jesse classes himself a lifelong student of teaching, learning, health and human performance. Jesse’s proudest roles are head cheerleader for his wife (a busy academic), and their near-adult daughter, and best friend and co-navigator of life to his young son living with autism and ADHD.

Michelle Brown

- Faculty -

Educator, Mentor,
Advocate

TDA

Michelle Brown

Faculty Educator, Mentor,
Advocate

Michelle is a passionate educator and Director of the Master of Science in Healthcare Simulation program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She believes curiosity and the power of pause allow us to reflect and to bring others into the conversation. Michelle’s interests include faculty development, behavioral factors associated with decision-making, and using simulation to better understand stigma associated with opioid use disorder. Michelle believes authenticity and vulnerability are superpowers that help us create and sustain meaningful relationships.

Kristian Krogh

- Faculty -

Clinician, Researcher,
Educator

TDA

Kristian Krogh

Faculty Clinician, Researcher,
Educator

Kristian is passionate about reflective learning and the relational aspects of team performances in relationship to individual as well as organizational learning, both in his clinical work as an anaesthetist and as an educationalist. He has a skeptical and pragmatic approach to learning informed by research and collaboration across teams and continents. He has a PhD in Simulation Based Education focused on realism and debriefing. Through conversation, reflection and continuous learning, he strives to assist educators in the clinical as well as simulated environment to continue to grow their debriefing skills.

Helen Levin

- Faculty -

Educator, Leader,
Clinician

TDA

Helen Levin

Faculty Educator, Leader,
Clinician

Helen is a paediatric emergency physician who was lucky enough to “bump into” simulation education early in her medical training and loved it from the start. She is inquisitive (or nosy?!?) and always eager to figure out what makes other people ‘tick’. Helen’s passion for simulation led her to complete a simulation fellowship with the KidSIM program. She has participated in many simulation-based events and enjoys the challenge of debriefing and faculty development. Currently, she resides in the forest city of London, Ontario, working in the as a simulation leader for Paediatric and Emergency Medicine programs.

Amani Aziz Al-Rahman

- Faculty -

Clinician, Educator,
Leader

TDA

Amani Aziz Al-Rahman

Faculty Clinician, Educator,
Leader

Since early in her life, Amani was fond of helping people to understand themselves and unveil their inner strengths. Luckily, through simulation, she found a way that enables her to do so. Her love for simulation led her to peruse a fellowship at KidSIM. Her current focus is in debriefing, where she uses her expertise in communication and education to recognize the mental frames of the learners and guide them toward improving themselves and their care for the patients. Currently, she is living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, working as a pediatric emergency physician and a simulation educator. She is also a board member of the Saudi Society For Simulation in Healthcare.

Gavin Burgess

- Faculty -

Educator, Mentor,
Clinician

TDA

Gavin Burgess

Faculty Educator, Mentor,
Clinician

Gavin developed his interest in debriefing having worked as a physician on three continents and held various positions from rural family medicine doctor to hospital extender and lately, Pediatric Emergency Medicine attending physician. He has co- designed the Pediatric Airway Course, teaches resuscitation and trauma courses and is an active member of the faculty development, staff simulation and Just-in-Time training programs. Working in so many different roles and places exposed him to various different approaches to feedback. He values being curious, inquisitive and honest when giving feedback. He loves teaching, networking and sharing knowledge.

Offering learning experiences designed to enhance the impact of debriefing conversations within organizations. Our courses help you fuel understanding, transform your workplace, and forge the future generation of leaders within your teams.

The Master Debriefer Course – Healthcare Edition

The Course provides the advanced content, strategies and tools necessary to transform debriefing conversations…
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Our faculty are:

Heather Wolfe

Bram Welch-Horan

Eve Purdy

David Kessler

Michaela Kolbe

Vincent Grant

Walter Eppich

Michael Meguerdichian

Susan Eller

Adam Cheng

Komal Bajaj

Ben Symon

Ian Summers

Jennifer Arnold

Jonathan Duff

Kellie Bryant

Paul Mullan

Jan Schmutz

Jesse Spurr

Michelle Brown

Kristian Krogh

Helen Levin

Amani Aziz Al-Rahman

Gavin Burgess

Quick Links

The Master Debriefer Course – Healthcare Edition

What’s My Password?

Chad Epps Memorial Bursary