Our Vision

Exceptional patient care and outcomes through simulation.

Our Mission

We advocate and advance simulation to improve healthcare education, patient safety, and quality improvement; and connect all healthcare and human service professions, disciplines, and care delivery sectors.

Our Values

• Creative disruption 
• Respect
• Best practices
• Community
• Collaboration
• Transparency

From coast to coast to coast, we acknowledge the ancestral and unceded territory of all the Inuit, Métis, and First Nations people that call this land home. We invite you to learn more about the lands where you are located.

Simulation Canada is a national not-for-profit organization that originally grew from the integration of SIM-one and the Canadian Network for Simulation in Healthcare.

Key Milestones

Our skills-based Board of Directors is elected by our Organizational Voting Members at the Annual General Meeting.

Read more about our Organizational Members and the Roles & Responsibilities of Voting Members.

Kymberley Bontinen – Chair of the Board

Kymberley Bontinen is the Simulation Program Coordinator for the University of British Columbia School of Nursing undergraduate program. Her current work is in deliberate practice and mastery learning, interprofessional education and faculty development in simulation, with research in evaluating student health care provider communication and simulation education. Areas of practice include acute medicine, home health and palliative care. Kymberley actively participates in the simulation community across Canada and is Chair of the Board of Directors for Simulation Canada and Co-Chair of the Simulation Committee for the Western Canada Collaborative of Health Sciences Educators Society (WCCHSE). Kymberley received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Laurentian University, Master of Science in Nursing from the University of British Columbia and is a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator (CHSE) and a Certified Canadian Simulation Nurse Educator (CCSNE).

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Christine Bradaric-Baus – Treasurer

As the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College’s Vice-President Academic, Dr. Christine Bradaric-Baus provides academic leadership for the Doctor of Chiropractic and Residency Programs. She has over 15 years’ senior administrative experience holding the positions of Vice President, Academic at Mohawk College, and Dean of Science and Engineering Technology at Seneca College and Niagara College. As a Simulation Canada board member, Christine brings simulation-based educational experience in chiropractic, aviation, skilled trades and nursing programs. Prior to her career in academia, she held the position of Senior Research Scientist at Cytec Industries, in Canada and US. She holds a PhD in organic chemistry from McMaster University.

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Rachel Hunt – Secretary

Rachel led the award-winning content department at Diply, Canada’s largest digital media company, with 70 million monthly followers. There, she developed a content strategy and determined creative direction for five Diply brands while managing a team of 70 in-house and freelance creative professionals.

Content is both an art and a science, requiring iteration, innovation, and a good sense of humour—all while achieving ambitious performance goals. At Diply, her team’s work distinguished us from the competition, earning us the Canadian Innovation Award in Arts and Entertainment in 2018. Diply topped Deloitte’s Fast 50 list of Canada’s high-growth tech companies in 2017, and generates 5 billion social impressions monthly.

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Haj Mohammed Abbad

Haj Mohammed Abbad is the director of the Center of Expertise in Health Simulation (EXeSS) of the Faculty of Nursing (FSI) of the University of Montreal (UdeM). A graduate in administration from the Faculty of Medicine of UdeM, he has more than 15 years of experience in management in the university environment and in the Quebec health network. His expertise includes digital transformation in the university setting, human resources management, team management, project management and business development.

In 2017, Mr. Abbad instigated the creation of the “Centre de simulation de la FSI, UdeM”, one of the largest centers of its type in Canada. Under his leadership, the Center meets the highest educational, scientific and ethical standards. In 2018, the Centre de simulation de la FSI obtained accreditation from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, a first in Canada for a Faculty of Nursing. Winner of the Excellence in Teaching Award, “Innovation” category of the Vice Rectorate for Studies and Student Affairs of UdeM in 2019, Mr. Abbad is a seasoned university administrator and strategist, recognized for his avant-garde vision and his analysis of new educational technological trends in connection with the continuous improvement of the quality of education.

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Sabrina Boutin

In her current role as Principal Vice President at MEDTEQ+ and Executive Director of a pan Canadian initiative called envisAGE, Sabrina leads the creation of a new network that will help Small and Medium Enterprises accelerate and deliver solutions to support older adults, caregivers, communities and healthcare providers. Her work entails strategic partnerships and collaboration with public and private organizations, government and philanthropy, aimed at creating meaningful lasting changes and social impact. Prior to this position, she spent 8 years has a Health project Director at CEFRIO focusing on Digital innovation adoption and implementation of groundbreaking approaches, codeveloped with various stakeholders and organizations. Sabrina’s 12-year Health care and nursing background is at the core of her experience and gives her a unique perspective and understanding of the various needs and challenges faced when implementing digital solutions in the Health, Education and Social service Sectors. She collaborates with National and International committees to help advance research, push boundaries and bring value to forward-thinking strategies that are integrating innovative and disruptive technologies. She is a frequent speaker at social and digital innovation focused conferences and acts as an Advisor for emerging enterprises specifically in the IoT, AI and Immersive environments (AR, VR, XR).

Sabrina earned a Master in Education from université de Montréal, a Master in Management from HEC Montréal, a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from McGill university and a Certification in Innovation & Entrepreneurship from HEC Paris.

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Vincent Grant

Dr. Grant is Medical Director, KidSIM Pediatric Simulation Program, an Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, and a Pediatric Emergency Physician, Alberta Children’s Hospital. Dr. Grant has been an integral part of simulation-based education growth at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, within the City of Calgary and now throughout the Province of Alberta. He is an integral part of eSIM, the provincial simulation initiative in the province of Alberta, where he is a member of the eSIM Expert Advisory Committee. He is active on a national scale and is the current co-chair of the Canadian Pediatric Simulation Network. He was also an active member of the Canadian Pediatric Society, where he sat on the executive for the Emergency Medicine section, and was the past-chair of the Pediatric Section of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians.

Dr. Grant is recognized internationally as an expert in the leadership and building of simulation programs. His main academic interests include simulation program development and planning, interprofessional education through simulation, outreach simulation, and simulation instructor training and faculty development.

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Arielle Levy

Arielle Levy, MD is a pediatric emergency physician working at the Sainte-Justine Hospital University Centre’s pediatric emergency department. She is an associate professor at the faculty of medicine of the University of Montreal. Dr. Levy completed a master’s degree in medical education at University of Cincinnati in 2011 with a focus in medical simulation. She has been the academic medical co-director at the Sainte-Justine hospital-based simulation center since 2012 and is actively involved as a simulation educator and facilitator for pre-graduate, graduate and post-graduate training. She has been a member of the executive committee of the Canadian Pediatric Simulation Network since 2012, which she is now the co-chair since 2014. Dr. Levy has also been director of pediatric training for the family medicine residency program at the University of Montreal since 2008.She has presented at many national and international emergency and simulation conferences on various simulation-based education research projects. She has been an active member of the Royal College Pediatric Examination OSCE Committee since 2010 as well as the Royal College Pediatric Emergency Examination Committee since 2014. Since June 2015, she is a committee member of the Simulation Task Force and has recently been appointed as a member of the new RC Simulation Accreditation Committee. Dr. Levy was attributed the University of Montreal Pediatric Department’s Best Teacher Award twice in 2010 and in 2012. In 2014, she was won the Award for Excellence in Education of the Pediatric Department of the University of Montreal. In June 2017, she was appointed faculty member of the Royal College Simulation Education Trainer Course.

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Sandra Monteiro

Dr. Sandra Monteiro is a Faculty of Health Sciences MERIT Scientist appointed to the Department of Medicine, Division of Education and Innovation. Sandra has a second appointment to the Centre for Simulation Based Learning as the Director, Scholarship. Sandra received her PhD in Psychology from McMaster University in 2013 and currently leads a successful international collaboration investigating theoretical models of cognitive processes behind clinical reasoning with application for education and assessment. In 2020, Sandra received the Excellence in Graduate Student Supervision Award from the Faculty of Health Science. In 2021, she received the Meridith Marks New Educator Award. In 2023 she was entered into the KIPRIME fellowship as recognition of her contribution to medical education.

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Kaye Phillips

Kaye joined the Health Standards Organization (HSO) in 2018 and is now Executive Director, Global Programs. Kaye and her team work with an incredible network of patients, family members, health care professionals, researchers, policy makers and partnering organizations to build evidence-based health and social services standards, assessment programs and quality improvement services for accreditation bodies, jurisdictions, and associations, in Canada and around the world.

Prior to this role Kaye worked with the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (CFHI) for nine and a half years. As Director she was responsible for leading the design, implementation and evaluation of a variety of CHFI’s pan-Canadian and provincial spread and scale collaboratives, such as the pan-Canadian Appropriate Use of Antipsychotic (AUA) collaborative (2014-2015), New-Brunswick AUA collaborative (2016-2017) and the scale of the PREVIEW-ED(TM) tool across Fraser Health Authority nursing homes and select Interior Health homes (2016-2017). She also led the design and integration of strategic evaluation and performance measurement across CFHI’s programs and corporate and program-wide evaluations, using techniques such as outcome mapping, program ROI and social network analysis.

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Diane Sénécal

Dr. Sénécal is vice president, Academic and Student Success at Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB). Prior to her arrival at CCNB in 2020, she worked at Collège Boréal as director of Academic Development and Educational Technologies and then as dean of Business and Community Services. Dr. Sénécal holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership (Ed.D) from Western University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration – Innovation Leadership (MBA) from the University of Fredericton.

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Christine Trauttmansdorff

Christine Trauttmansdorff is a government relations specialist with the Willow Green Group. She works with clients in post-secondary and the broader research and training ecosystem to position the education sector as a critical partner in achieving economic and social prosperity for Canada. Prior to founding the Willow Green Group in 2021, Christine worked as a vice-president and in numerous senior executive roles at Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the House of Commons. She has extensive leadership experience in government relations, communications, strategic planning, governance, policy research, partnership development and organizational change. Christine serves on several boards in the not-for-profit sector and volunteers in her community. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Public Administration, both from Carleton University.

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Barbara Wilson-Keates

Dr. Barbara Wilson-Keates is a simulation consultant and facilitator for healthcare students at the School of Community, Wellness and Health at Red Deer Polytechnic. Her current research focuses on the regulatory inclusion of simulation for clinical placements, operationalization of evidence-based simulation learning standards, and the meaning of digital inequity across simulation programs globally. With a critical care clinical background, she is currently co-chair of CASN Simulation Nurse Educators Interest Group, a consultant for the Alberta Simulation Educators Group, and a previous board of director for INACSL. In addition, Dr. Wilson-Keates is actively involved in ongoing revisions of the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice. She has collaborated with simulation researchers and educators across the world, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, and Chile. As a national and international researcher, educator, and leader in simulation, Dr. Wilson-Keates is a known consultant for international healthcare providers and faculty on simulation. Dr. Wilson-Keates received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from University of Toronto, her Master of Science from Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA with a focus on development of a state-trauma system, and her PhD in Nursing Health Systems from University of Toronto. She is also a Certified Canadian Simulation Nurse Educator (CCSNE).

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Jennifer Zelmer

Dr. Jennifer Zelmer is the inaugural President and CEO of Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC), a charity aiming to shape a future where everyone in Canada has safe and high-quality healthcare. She previously led one of HEC’s two founding organizations: the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement. Before that, she held senior leadership positions with Azimuth Health Group, Canada Health Infoway, the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organization, and the Canadian Institute for Health Information. Dr. Zelmer has been a C.D. Howe Research Fellow for several years and is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Victoria, as well as a member of several health-related advisory committees and boards. She received her PhD and MA in economics from McMaster University and her B.Sc. in health information science from the University of Victoria.

The Simulation Canada Team is devoted to the advancement and advocacy of simulated learning in health professions education for the benefit of patient care and safety. Please never hesitate to contact us directly with any questions or ideas!

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Dr. Sara Mezzone-Budd, Ed.D

[email protected]
Director, Education & Community Engagement

Sara Mezzone-Budd joined Simulation Canada in 2016 as the Director of Education and Community Engagement. During her time with Simulation Canada, Sara has expanded and enhanced the education portfolio to include online programming and customized simulation educator training nationwide.
Sara has led numerous academic programming initiatives over 16 years as an academic leader in the Ontario post-secondary system. In various academic administration roles within the Ontario post-secondary system, Sara has led diploma and degree studies, academic partnerships, health sciences continuing education, corporate training and healthcare simulation. Sara has managed the development of academic programs with immersive simulation experiences and has built custom simulation training programs.

Sara has completed credentials from Sheridan College, the University of Waterloo, and a Master’s Degree in Education from Athabasca University. Sara is currently completing a doctorate degree in higher education leadership at the University of Western Ontario.

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Nicole Fung

[email protected]
Director, Operations & Events

Nicole Fung has over nineteen years of experience working in a professional environment, focused on event management, logistics planning and operational capacity. She is an honours graduate of both the Interior Design – Advanced program and the Event Management graduate certificate program, from Algonquin College. Nicole possesses a wide-ranging skillset and works closely with each member of the Simulation Canada team.

Nicole would like to acknowledge that she lives and works on the traditional territory of 2 Indigenous communities: Haudenosaunee, Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ.

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Dr. Amy Nakajima, MD, FRCSC, MSc

[email protected]
Director, SIM Advancement & Innovation

Dr. Amy Nakajima completed her undergraduate medical education at the University of Alberta and residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Saskatchewan, receiving her Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) certification in 2000. Amy currently lives and works in Ottawa, the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg People. Seeking to be a critical ally, she strives to be mindful of the legacy of colonialism and to promote reconciliation in the work she undertakes, as a clinician, as a teacher, and as an educator. Amy has completed a MSc in Human Factors and System Safety (Lund University) and was accepted in the inaugural cohort of the DrPH Program at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (University of Toronto). She is an active clinician-teacher, participating in didactic, small group, and simulation-based teaching at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels at the University of Ottawa. She regularly provides faculty development workshops, both locally and at national simulation and medical education conferences. Amy is a member of the Educational Innovation Committee of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC), the Diversity and Inclusion Committee of Bruyère Continuing Care, and the Ethics and Equity Committee of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. A focus of her clinical and academic activities is working with patients who are disadvantaged and for whom social determinants of health constitute barriers to receiving safe and effective care. She provides community-based care at the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health and at Bruyère Continuing Care. Amy has played major roles in creating new online Simulation Canada faculty development courses and in revising and transforming Simulation Canada offerings and transforming them into online formats. Most recently, she participated in the development of the Virtu-WIL program of Colleges and Institutes Canada (CiCAN), on which Simulation Canada was an active collaborator, as its Chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group.

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Saidat Okaga, MBBCh, MPH, MPA, MED

[email protected]
Project Coordinator

Saidat Okaga is a Public Health Program specialist, with Masters degree in medical education from the University of Ottawa, Canada. She also has masters degrees in Public Health, and Public Administration.

With more than 15 years experience in the field of medical education, she has a proven record in designing, managing, supporting, and overseeing complex and innovative medical programs that aim at advancing healthcare delivery and patient safety.

Saidat has worked with the Ministry of Health Lagos, Africa, and in Canada with Somerset West Community Health Center, Medical Council of Canada, and Colleges and Institutes, Canada as a medical educator. She possesses a wide range of skillsets in program management, administrative, operational, and budgetary support. Saidat works closely with both teams at CICan and Simulation Canada to support the Virtu-WIL project.

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Venus Sinson

[email protected]
Senior Manager, Marketing & Communications

Venus Sinson brings over 20 years experience in advertising and design to the Communications & Marketing team at Simulation Canada. Her strategic approach to communications ranges from TV to brand and identity programs to online campaigns to numerous multi-media projects. She is experienced in broadcast, print, direct marketing and digital. Some of the brands she was fortunate enough to work with include The Globe and Mail, President’s Choice Financial, Toronto Transit Commission, Xerox, Ontario Science Centre, Rotman School of Management, SickKids Foundation, Canadian Diabetes Association, Human Rights Watch Canada, Right To Play and University Health Network.

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Lorraine Rotz, CPA-CA

[email protected]
Finance Lead

Lorraine Rotz, a Chartered Professional Accountant with over 20 years of financial management experience, currently provides services to small organizations, specializing in not-for-profit organizations and start-up companies. She leads a team that provides better financial management services by ensuring that senior financial skills and a strategic perspective is supplemented by strong accounting and bookkeeping resources. Lorraine’s career has spanned a variety of industries, including venture capital, information technology, entertainment and media, and the not-for-profit/charitable sector.  She has also served on the Board of a number of small charities.

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Dr. Timothy Willett, MD, MMEd

[email protected]
President & CEO

Dr. Timothy Willett is Simulation Canada’s President & CEO (from 2016) and was previously the inaugural Director of Research & Development. Tim has been working at the intersection of healthcare education, technology and leadership since 2005. He is passionate about the transformational (and overdue) value simulation is bringing to the healthcare education and delivery sectors. As President & CEO, Tim is responsible for the leadership and day-to-day operations. He is honoured to be part of this small but mighty team and the network’s passionate nation-wide community. Tim received his MD from the University of Ottawa and a Masters of Medical Education from the University of Dundee, Scotland. He has served as a curriculum developer and educational researcher for the University of Ottawa, CRI Critical Care Education Network, and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He has served on the Executive Committee and as Co-Chair of the Competency Working Group of the MedBiquitous Consortium.

Tim is privileged to live on the land of the Algonquin Anishinaabe people, in the territory covered by the Rideau Purchase (Treaties 27 and 27-1/4), where he endeavours to teach his 3 children about stewardship of the land.