Lindsay is a passionate physiotherapist and educator who has worked in various leadership, operational, education and clinical roles in both hospital and academic settings over the past 13 years. After first participating in simulation training in Melbourne, Australia, Lindsay brought her passion back to Canada. In 2012, Lindsay became the Simulation Lead for the Ontario Internationally Educated Physical Therapy Bridging Program at the University of Toronto, responsible for the design, delivery and evaluation of simulation. She also supported the Masters of Physical Therapy Program for their simulation needs.

Lindsay has an undergraduate in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo (2004), a Masters of Physiotherapy (2006) from the University of Western Ontario, and completed the University of Toronto’s Centre for Faculty Development Education Scholars Program in 2016.

Lindsay manages all aspects of operational, financial and personnel activities for the Simulation Program across Unity Health.

Dr. Brydges conducts research in three related domains: (i) clarifying how healthcare trainees and professionals manage their life-long learning (through ‘self-regulated learning’), (ii) understanding how to optimize the instructional design of healthcare simulation (and other technology-enhanced learning modalities) for training and assessment of healthcare professionals, and (iii) identifying best practices in the training and assessment of bedside invasive medical procedures (e.g., lumbar puncture, central line insertion, thoracentesis). Examples of questions he asks include how trainees prepare for future learning, how to support trainees to self-regulate their learning (e.g., through setting and adapting their goals), how trainees learn to self-monitor effectively (i.e., think about their own thinking), how validity evidence is collected and organized when assessing health professionals, and how to design training using educational technologies (e.g., iPad apps, web-based simulators) to enhance learning outcomes.

Through studies of self-regulation and simulation, Dr. Brydges aims to understand how training interventions transfer into healthcare professional’s behaviours. His work with procedural skills training in the simulation-based and workplace-based settings will serve as a proof of concept for developing novel models of ‘competency-based education’ in both academic and community hospital settings. That research arm has implications for patient care, health care system reform (e.g., identifying a need for specialized procedural service teams), and healthcare resource utilization (e.g., providing input to Choosing Wisely initiatives).

Dr. Brydges trained as a Kinesiologist at the University of Waterloo. He then obtained his MSc and PhD from the Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto. He completed an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Glenn Regehr at the University of British Columbia.

Doug is currently the Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit & Deputy Chief Pediatrics at St. Michael’s Hospital. He is cross-appointed at the Hospital for Sick Children and works regularly as a Staff Neonatologist. His academic interests include resuscitation of the neonate and the use of simulation as a toolkit for healthcare organizations. Doug is the Medical Director of the Allan Waters Family Simulation Centre at Unity Health Toronto. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto and an Associate Scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael’s Hospital for his academic work in simulation.

Doug is a past member of the Canadian Pediatric Society National Resuscitation Program (NRP) Executive Committee and Past Chair of the Canadian NRP Research Committee. His simulation education and experience has formed a large part of his academic career as an educator, administrator and researcher; he received simulation training at Stanford University at the Center for Advanced Perinatal Education (CAPE). International recognition for his work in simulation has included election to the Board of Directors of the International Pediatric Simulation Society (IPSS). He is currently the Simulation Lead for the University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine (co-chair Simulation Education Advisory Committee (SEAC)).

Caseita is new to the Unity Health Simulation Team as of August 2020.

Caseita is formally trained as a Computer Programmer Analyst. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Health Administration - Health Information Management, certificates in SQL Database Administration and Health Data Analytics and diplomas in Medical Administration and Health Information Management. Her love for the medical field and information technology led her to become a Certified Health Information Management Professional and she is an active member of the Canadian Health Information Management Association (CHIMA).

Caseita has a passion for data quality especially in the healthcare industry. She has been working with simulation education since 2013 and she believes that simulation education plays an integral role in clinical practice and quality of care.

Kerry is new to the Unity Health Simulation Team as of January 2020. She brings with her 20 years of experience working in healthcare and more recently in medical education and continuing professional development.

She holds a Bachelor of Education and possesses a true passion for teaching. She appreciates the opportunity to learn from such an amazing team and looks forward to enhancing her simulation education.

Nicole has been a part of the Unity Health Simulation Team since November 2019. She has been working in healthcare for the past 10 years and decided to transition into medical education to take on new challenges within the field.

She is currently working on a Bachelor of Health Sciences and has fallen in love with the art of simulation. She is excited for the opportunity to learn and grow from such a dynamic team.

Nazanin Khodadoust is the Director of Technology Enabled Education and responsible for providing comprehensive strategic and operational oversight for Simulation, Telemedicine, e-Learning/LMS, and Health Information & Knowledge Mobilization Programs at Unity Health Toronto.

Nazanin is a Registered Nurse and an education leader with 20 years of experience in hospitals and academic settings. She holds a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing, MBA in Healthcare, and has received simulation and business training at Harvard Medical School. She holds numerous postgraduate diplomas in education, leadership and technology enabled learning and has extensive experience in development, implementation and management of education programs. Nazanin has represented our institution on various national and international platforms.

Christine is a critical care Physiotherapist who has been practicing clinically at St. Michael’s Hospital for over 10 years. It was her passion for education and interest in simulation that spurred her transition into the simulation educator role here at the Allan Waters Family Simulation Centre in 2017. Her current responsibilities include assisting with the creation of simulation programs for various user groups, educating faculty about simulation best practices and how to integrate simulation into curriculum, as well as identify opportunities for simulation research within the organization. Christine remains highly involved as a facilitator and lecturer for the U of T Physiotherapy program and the IPE portfolio. When she’s not at work, Christine is dreaming up her next travel adventure or is out sailing on Lake Ontario.

Dr. Petrosoniak is an emergency physician and trauma team leader at St. Michael's Hospital. He’s an assistant professor at the University of Toronto and an associate scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute. He's the lead for Translational Simulation & Clinical Integration at St. Michael's Hospital. A role focused on using simulation to connect with patient outcomes and clinically relevant results. His research work focuses on using in situ simulation to improve patient safety and optimizing skill acquisition of rarely performed procedures. He also applies simulation to inform design within newly constructed clinical environments. He publishes and speaks regularly on using in situ simulation, healthcare design and trauma care.

Kristen joined the simulation team in 2017. Her passion for simulation dates back many years to integrating moulage and detailed patient histories while teaching BLS and lifeguarding. Having completed more formal education, she has redirected her goals towards applying simulation to improve patient care through education, quality improvement, research, and human factors. As a Simulation Educator, she works with faculty to develop and continuously improve simulation activities using best practices. This includes writing objectives based on needs, designing dynamic scenarios, and facilitating engaging debriefs. Kristen is also a Respiratory Therapist, who derives great satisfaction from a good, productive suction. She continues to practice clinically at St Michael’s and Toronto Western Hospital. She previously completed her BSc in Biochemistry, and looks forward to never setting foot in a lab again.

Hentley has diplomas in Journalism and Electronics Engineering Technology and previously worked as a manikin service technician on the bench and in the field.

He has been in simulation for over 20 years and brings a wealth of knowledge from the technical side to the Sim team. His responsibilities include setting the simulation environment for learners and facilitators, and maintaining the simulation equipment. On occasion he also lends his technical expertise in areas of manikin maintenance and scenario programming.

He has a passion for helping learners enhance their competency and enjoys seeing their progression.

Sue Zelko joined the simulation team in 2013 as simulation specialist.

Sue was formally trained in interior design and holds certificates in the human service field. Her passion for education led her to obtain an Adult Education/ Staff Training Certificate in 2017 and is a graduate of the Centre for Faculty Development’s Teaching and Learning for Collaborating Program. Most recently, Sue graduated from the Master of Health Sciences – Translational Research Program, at the University of Toronto in August 2020 where she learned skills to identify gaps in the healthcare system and to find innovative ways to influence positive change in patient care.

Sue has presented at international sim conferences, won an award for an interactive educational poster, and has lead student-based programming including TIPSY and Popular Science. Sue co-developed the Family and Friends CPR program, and moulage workshops that benefit the local sim community. Sue enjoys hosting education sessions for learners and creating realistic training models to improve the student’s experience. Some models include cricothyroid, invasive placenta, resuscitative hysterotomy and bleeding lacerations to name a few. When outside the sim lab, you’ll find Sue cycling or on her paddleboard.

Camille is a registered nurse who has been working at St. Michael's Hospital for just over 3 years. She has a bachelor of Health Sciences from Western University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Queen's University, where she was first exposed to simulation. After working clinically for a number of years, she quickly sparked an interest in education and leadership, and completed a Master of Nursing in Leadership and Professional Practice in 2022. She has always been passionate about teaching, health promotion, and improving patient care through simulation. Camille joined the Allan Walters Family Simulation Centre in March 2023 and is excited to be a part of such an incredible team. As a Simulation Educator, she works with users to plan and develop simulation activities based on best practices in simulation.

Mark has been an emergency nurse for more than 2 decades in the ED at St. Michael’s Hospital. He has filled several roles intermittently at Unity Health, such as a Clinical Specialist for the IT department, a Case Manager for the General Internal Medicine Team, the interim Clinical Leader/Manager in the Emergency Department and as the Resource Nurse in the ED. In addition, he has been a faculty member of the Advanced Trauma Care for Nursing course program at Unity Health since 2006. In 2023, Mark joined the Simulation Team in the role of Simulation Educator.

Julia Lee has been a practicing respiratory therapist (RT) at St. Michael's Hospital since 2005. She has been fortunate to hold various roles in different areas of the organization including education, research, operational readiness and patient and family engagement. These experiences spurred her interest in person-centered care, evidence based practice and collaborative education with an equity-focused lens. She is excited to bring those passions to the simulation team as a new simulation educator starting in February 2023. She looks forward to working with various user groups and learners in their journey through the wonderful world of simulation to help improve healthcare design, delivery and outcomes.

Outside of work, you will find her spending time with loved ones, playing volleyball, softball, or binge watching a reality TV show.