About Us

The Center serves the entire Howard University Health Sciences Enterprise, including the Colleges of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing and Allied Health, Public Health, Clinical and Counseling Psychology Programs, School of Social Work, and School of Communication's Speech Disorders Programs. We also extend our expertise to external community-based healthcare programs, creating a broad network of learning opportunities.

Our educational approach encompasses four critical domains: cognitive development, psychomotor skill acquisition, affective learning, and team-based training. This comprehensive methodology ensures healthcare professionals develop both technical competencies and essential collaborative skills needed for modern patient care.

The Center offers extensive clinical and technical skills training, including patient history taking, physical examination techniques, interpersonal communication, bedside procedures for adult and pediatric populations, operative procedures, laparoscopic skills, ultrasound proficiency, and specialized programs such as Neonatal Resuscitation and PALS certification.

Our technology-rich environment features full-body manikins ranging from low to high fidelity, specialized task trainers, computer-based simulations, and virtual reality platforms. Also, our Center is home to exceptionally trained Standardized Patients who deliver the highest fidelity simulation experiences. These skilled professionals can present cases across a spectrum of complexity levels, creating tailored learning opportunities that progressively challenge students and enhance their clinical competencies.  This diverse array of training modalities ensures learners experience realistic scenarios that mirror actual clinical environments

Our simulation learning management system captures and integrates audio-visual data from training sessions, providing real-time observation capabilities, immediate feedback, and detailed post-encounter analysis. This platform enables both instructors and students to evaluate performance and monitor clinical skill progression.

Under the institutional oversight of the Office of the Provost, the Center is led by Director Dr. Tamara Owens and Medical/Surgical Director Dr. Debra Ford. Our SimTeam comprises healthcare and education professionals with extensive expertise in case scenario development, standardized patient training, skills assessment, and faculty development programs.

Our Center's exceptional standards have achieved stand-alone accreditation as an Accredited Education Institute of the American College of Surgeons. We have maintained this prestigious accreditation continuously since 2016, demonstrating our commitment to the highest levels of healthcare education excellence.

Through innovative simulation-based learning, we prepare healthcare professionals to deliver exceptional patient care while advancing the science of medical education. Our center represents the future of healthcare training, where technology, expertise, and compassionate care converge to shape the next generation of healthcare leaders.