Conference Presentations
Western States Simulation Alliance BRIDGES Conference
Building Relationships, Innovation, Development, and Growth Excellence in Simulation
San Diego │ November 7-8, 2025
Keynote Speaker: Jennifer Arnold, MD, MSc, FAAP, Program Director, Immersive Design Systems (IDS), Boston Children’s Hospital; Physician Leader, Harvard Medical School
Keynote Speaker: Jared Kutzin, DNP, PhD, MS, MPH, FSSH, FAAN, President, Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH)
Panel Presentation: “The Value of Partnerships”
Moderator: KT Waxman, DNP, MBA, RN, CNL, CHSE, CENP, FAONL, FSSH, FAAN, Director, WSSA / Professor, UCSF School of Nursing
Panelists: Dan Micic, President and Founder, Medical Shipment; Glenn Ostrem, Regional Sales Manager, Laerdal Medical; Benson Yeung, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CHSE, Regional Director, Practice Excellence Clinical Education and Effectiveness, Patient Care Services, Kaiser Permanente; Jesika Gavilanes, EdD, MATESOL, FSSH, Operations Director, Simulation, Oregon Health & Science University
Sessions & Workshops
Presentation: “Simulation for Interprofessional Public Health Training” Speaker: Pooja Nawathe, MD, FAAP, FCCN, CHSE-A, CHSOS, Medical Director of Simulation, Department of Pediatrics, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Presentation: “Bridging the Gap: Debriefing Strategies for Equity and Excellence in Healthcare Simulation” Speakers: Melissa Punnoose, MSN, RN-BC, CHSE, CHSOS, Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator; Heidi Traxler, MSN, RN-CHSE, Regional Director of Clinical Simulation, Providence St Joseph Health System Southern California
Presentation: “Moulage: A Hands-On Workshop” Speaker: Brian Hanlon, BS, CHSOS-A, Simulation Center Specialist, Alameda Health System
Presentation: “Designing and Evaluating Simulation Scenarios and Frameworks to Address Implicit Bias in Patients: Concepts, Challenges, and Implications” Speakers: Leslie Catron, DNP, M.A.ED, BSN, RN, CHSE, Grant Project Manager and Faculty, Western States Simulation Alliance; Alexandra Duke, DNP, RN-BC, CEN, CHSE, CNE®cl, EBP-C, Manager and Faculty, Western States Simulation Alliance
Presentation: “Simulation Program Accreditation: Standards, Strategies for Success” Speaker: Juli Maxworthy, DNP, PhD(c), MSN, MBA, RN, CNL, CPHQ, CPPS, CHSE, FNAP, FSSH, Associate Adjunct Professor, University of California, San Francisco
Presentation: “Designing a Mobile Simulation Program: From Concept to Implementation” Speakers: Kaitlynn Thurman, RN, MSN, CCN, Senior Director, Clinical Development and Simulation, Sutter Health
Presentation: “Little Patients, Big Conversations: The Role of High-Fidelity Simulation in Teaching Patient-Centered Communication in Pediatrics” Speaker: Jean Dougherty, RN, MSN-ed, CPN, CHSE, CCRN, Nursing Professional Development Specialist, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles; Kim Lindstadt MSN, RN, CCRN, Simulation Center Manager, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Presentation: “Bridging Campuses, Building Excellence: Simulation Standardization Guided by the INACSL Standards and Endorsement” Speakers: Carrie Miller, PhD, RN, CHSE-A, CNE, IBCLC, Associate Professor, University of Alaska-Anchorage School of Nursing
Presentation: “Beyond the Grade: Leveraging Simulation as a Growth Roadmap in Competency-Based Education” Speaker: Marie Gilbert, DNP, RN, CHSE-A, FSSH, Director, Central California Center for Excellence in Nursing
Presentation: “Designing Simulation Courses in Pre-Licensure Nursing Education: Aligning Faculty Workload with Student Learning Outcomes” Speakers: Ronda Durano, MN, RN, CHSE, Nursing Instructor, Simulation Coordinator, Highline College -Des Moines, WA