Newswise — Bethesda, Md. – Dr. Joseph Lopreiato, associate dean for Simulation Education at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), was recently named a Fellow of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (FSSH) in recognition of his significant contributions to the field of healthcare simulation.
As a Fellow of the Society, Lopreiato joins a group of leaders and renowned simulationists who have made a remarkable impact on their field. Becoming a Fellow offers recognition for Lopreiato’s work, dedication, and passion that has shaped and continues to shape the art, science, and practice of healthcare simulation. Fellows of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH) are selected through a rigorous peer-review process that evaluates the summative work and contributions in both healthcare simulation and to the SSH. Since 2016, 101 individuals from 12 countries have been awarded this prestigious recognition.
“I am honored to be inducted into the Academy of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare,” Lopreiato said. “This prestigious group of healthcare simulation pioneers from around the globe has done great work to advance the science and practice of healthcare simulation. I am humbled to be a part of this group.”
Lopreiato began his medical career in pediatrics and served in the Navy for 31 years as a pediatrician and educator. In 2003, he became the associate dean for Simulation Education and is the medical director of USU’s Val G. Hemming Simulation Center. The Simulation Center is one of the world’s most advanced medical education centers and is located on the Forest Glen Annex in Silver Spring. Under Lopreiato’s direction, the simulation center has undergone four major renovations, including the addition of a large-scale, immersive, virtual reality theater, a dedicated mannequin and task trainer laboratory, and 16 patient examination rooms for standardized patients. Lopreiato has also led the expansion of the center’s research portfolio in simulation, and increased capacity to deliver simulation activities to USU students.
Throughout his career, Lopreiato has made many other contributions to the field of healthcare simulation, to include the creation of the Healthcare Simulation Dictionary, as its founding editor. The first of its kind, the dictionary was published in 2016 and defines key terms used in simulation research, practice and operations.
Over the years, Lopreiato has also earned many accolades for his tireless efforts in healthcare simulation and education, including the Academic Pediatric Association’s Ray Helfer Award for Innovation in Medical Education, the William P. Clements Award as Outstanding Military Educator, the American Academy of Pediatrics National Education Award, and the Association of Pediatric Program Director’s Walter Tunneson Award for innovative contributions in pediatric graduate medical education. He is a member of the Association of Standardized Patient Educators and recently served as the President of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.
“It is wonderful to see Dr. Lopreiato recognized by his peers in the Society for Simulation in Healthcare with this prestigious honor,” said Dr. Brian Reamy, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs and a professor of Family Medicine and Medicine at USU. “Dr. Lopreiato is one of the amazing educational leaders who help to keep the USU School of Medicine at the forefront of innovation in U.S. medical education.”
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About the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences: The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, founded by an act of Congress in 1972, is the nation’s federal health sciences university and the academic heart of the Military Health System. USU students are primarily active duty uniformed officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health Service who receive specialized education in tropical and infectious diseases, TBI and PTSD, disaster response and humanitarian assistance, global health, and acute trauma care. USU also has graduate programs in oral biology, biomedical sciences and public health committed to excellence in research. The University's research program covers a wide range of areas important to both the military and public health. For more information about USU and its programs, visit www.usuhs.edu.
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