The SIM awards are peer-nominated and peer-reviewed awards that celebrate the very best in our community. Join us in celebrating the achievements, commitment and passion of the individuals and organizations who lead the way!
The SIM Awards are presented annually at the SIM Expo.
SIM Citizenship Award
This award recognizes simulationists across Canada who have made incredible contributions in the field of healthcare simulation. It honours those who have made an outstanding impact on building the simulation community, education, creative professional activities, advocacy, research, and other endeavours. The award celebrates collaborative and dedicated simulationists who have advocated for and championed simulation in their communities. It recognizes leading simulationists who may not be otherwise celebrated through more traditional academic awards.
The SIM Citizenship Award is generously sponsored by Gaumard.
SIM Innovator Award
The SIM Innovator Award is a national award that recognizes an organization that has demonstrated exceptional commitment to innovate, advocate and advance simulation for education, patient safety and/or quality improvement. The award celebrates an organization at the leading edge of integrating simulation into their activities, using simulation-based strategies to disrupt the status quo and profoundly improve education and/or patient care.
The SIM Innovator Award is generously sponsored by HIROC.
2024 Nominees
Canada’s SIM champions, community-builders and innovators – congratulations to the nominees. Below, we share summaries from the impressive nominations received this year.
2024 SIM Citizenship Award Nominees
| Nicole Harder University of Manitoba | For her leadership in integrating virtual simulations into nursing education, significantly expanding the simulation curriculum to encompass over 25% of clinical hours, her role in the Virtu-WIL project, contributions to the RadyVerse, advocating for regulatory policy change in Manitoba, international academic leadership and scholarly contributions, and regional community engagement. |
| Carrie Meagher British Columbia Institute of Technology | For her exceptional leadership in managing over 100 simulation spaces, her role in establishing the BCIT Simulation Council, her advocacy for the accreditation of the simulation program by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, and her successful collaboration with external partners to enhance healthcare simulation education, including the development of an Educational Electronic Health Record and the launch of an in-house Simulated Patient program. |
| Ferooz Sekandarpoor University of British Columbia | For his instrumental role in advancing healthcare simulation through the founding of the BC Simulation Network, his leadership as President of SimGHOSTS where he expanded its global reach to countries including the UK, France, and Singapore, and his contributions to essential educational resources such as the “Capability Framework” and the textbook “Simulation Operations, Technology, and Innovative Practice”. |
| Anthony Seto University of Calgary | For extensive contributions to healthcare simulation, including developing the innovative Mass Gathering Medicine elective, creating low-fidelity simulations such as the “Draw & Doodle Simulation,” directing the rural and remote resuscitation simulation program, and integrating simulation training into lifeguard education for the Lifesaving Society. |
| Barbara Sinclair Western University | For her pioneering work in developing the Clinical Simulation Suite into a state-of-the-art facility, integrating high-fidelity mannequins and AI-driven simulations, as well as for her contributions to the development of the Simulated Medication Administration Record and Computerized Provider Order Entry systems, which have significantly enhanced nursing education through realistic, technology-integrated learning experiences. |
| JoAnne Slinn Interior Health Authority, BC | For her leadership in running the simulation program at the Pritchard Sim Centre, her role in co-authoring a COVID-19 simulation guide, establishing a monthly in-situ simulation program for emergency department residency, securing funding for simulation projects, and her contributions to research on airborne disease transmission in healthcare settings. |
| Rajani Vairavanathan Michael Garron Hospital | For her unwavering dedication to the simulation community, development of high-fidelity simulation programs for family medicine residents, innovative emergency scenarios including “Is there a Doctor on the Plane?”, recruitment of diverse facilitators from various healthcare professions, mentorship of junior faculty, and contributions to simulation training that have significantly improved medical education and patient outcomes. |
2024 SIM Innovator Award Nominees
| BSN Experiential Learning Program British Columbia Institute of Technology | For the development of a comprehensive simulation framework, integration of Electronic Health Records into the curriculum, expansion of the nursing program by 50% to address workforce shortages, creation of a dedicated student success simulation program, establishment of a research and innovation hub that developed a BSN Simulation Peer Coaching Pathway, and rigorous evaluation of simulation effectiveness using established frameworks. |
| CAMH Simulation Centre Centre for Addiction and Mental Health | For pioneering the use of virtual reality (VR) in mental health, the VR Suicide Risk Assessment and VR Opioid Overdose Simulation Trainings, which have trained over 900 learners; integrating these trainings into nursing curricula at the University of Toronto; establishing 16 partnerships with national and international institutions; and conducting ongoing evaluations demonstrating significant improvements in learner confidence and competence in managing high-risk situations. |
| RadyVerse University of Manitoba | For expanding the boundaries of interprofessional virtual reality (VR) simulation that enhances healthcare education and training for students across various disciplines; expanding access to high-quality VR-based education for rural healthcare teams; utilizing VR in international competency assessments for nursing, allowing remote evaluations; and integrating AI-enhanced simulations to improve clinical skills and teamwork in healthcare settings. |
| Immersive Virtual Reality Simulation (IVRS) Project Team University of New Brunswick | For pioneering the integration of immersive virtual reality simulation (IVRS) in nursing education through the Learn Where You Live program, enhancing access for remote learners, providing real-time feedback in clinical training, expanding the program to include partnerships with the Yukon Territory, and demonstrating a commitment to ongoing evaluation and improvement of educational outcomes. |
| Department of Family Medicine University of Ottawa | For its pioneering use of virtual reality (VR) applications, including a multiplayer VR escape room for teaching Quality Improvement concepts, a VR scuba experience for stress and anxiety management, and a VR-PTSI tool aimed at helping first responders manage post-traumatic stress injuries, all of which enhance medical education and community mental health advocacy. |
Recipients
Congratulations to all the previous recipients, and thank you for all you have done to support simulation in Canada!
| Year | SIM Citizenship Award | SIM Innovator Award |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Annamaria Mundell • Alberta Health Services | Timiskaming District Secondary School • Sim Lab |
| 2022 | Adam Dubrowski • Ontario Tech University | Corporate Nursing Education Team • The Ottawa Hospital |
| 2019 | Karen Schafer • Vancouver Coastal Health | ▸ ‘Be the Beam’ Project Team, The Medical Radiography Program • BCIT ▸ Allan Waters Family Simulation Centre • St. Michael’s Hospital ▸ Institut du Savoir Montfort ▸ Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre |
| 2018 | Karl Weiss • Conestoga College | ▸ Speciality Nursing, School of Health Sciences • BCIT ▸ Clinical Simulation Centre, FHS • Queen’s University ▸ Clinique de diabète et CSME • CHU Sainte-Justine ▸ Emergency Health Services Nova Scotia (EHS NS) • Ambulance Operations – Performance & Development Division |
| 2017 | Colette Foisy-Doll • MacEwan University | ▸ Alberta Health Services • eSim Program ▸ Canadore College ▸ John Abbott College ▸ Dalhousie University • Stroke Interprofessional Team |
| 2016 | Karen Paquette • Cambrian College | N/A |
| 2015 | Elizabeth Horsley Tony Malette Judy Bournais | N/A |
| 2014 | Cathy Smith Julie Rivers | N/A |
| 2013 | Dominic Giuliano Lisa Satterthwaite Louise Moir Luc Simard Marie McEwan Yvonne Galbraith | N/A |
Prior to 2017, SIM-one offered a SIM Student award. Here are the past recipients!
| Year | SIM Student Award |
|---|---|
| 2016 | Megan Mahoney |
| 2015 | Paul Schnider |
| 2014 | Murray A. Hudon |
| 2013 | Lucy dong Xuan Li Meghan Friesen |