My overarching research interest is the promotion of patient safety through enhancement of learning and improved equipment design.  My research activities within the Center for Simulation, Advanced Learning and Technology fall into two main overlapping areas. 

Simulation in Healthcare.  I am part of the UF team that conceived the patented technology behind the Human Patient Simulator (HPS) in the late 80’s and early 90’s.  The HPS went on to revolutionize education and training in healthcare.  In the late 90’s, my simulation research shifted to what would become transparent reality simulation on the web in the form of the Virtual Anesthesia Machine (VAM) simulation.  Our simulation portfolio has become diversified to include airway devices, perioperative hemostasis, CVVH/dialysis, pharmacokinetics and physics in anesthesia simulations.  In our quest to make simulations more effective to produce and use and provide equitable access, we have applied, extended or developed learning object principles, mental models, the science of learning with simulation and sustainable web philanthropy models.  Our research has been amplified internationally through a spontaneous network of healthcare professionals who volunteered their time and effort to translate and localize our work and spread our patient safety message worldwide.

Healthcare equipment.  Another area of expertise is healthcare equipment and devices with an emphasis on anesthesia machines and equipment.  As equipment and procedures become more complex, the potential for misuse and patient harm persists.  In addition to applying simulation to teach the proper use of equipment and procedures (such as the anesthesia machine pre-use check), my research includes innovation to make equipment safer and more effective such as synchronizing chest radiographs to peak lung inflation, the imaging stylet, minimizing the risk of surgical fires and providing auditory feedback of exhalation as a means of adjusting facemask seal during bag valve mask ventilation.