SSH President's February Message: SSH is a Home for ALL

A little over a month ago, approximately 5,000 healthcare simulation professionals attended IMSH 2025, the 25th anniversary of IMSH.

It was a week of celebration, commemoration, and conferencing. 

The buzz in the IMSH Exhibition Hall was palpable, the networking among attendees led to long-lasting connections, and the educational sessions engaged members from the early morning until late evening. 

The week started with a two-day forum, “Healthcare Simulation 2050: Building a Better Future Together” which brought together over 200 simulation users. These simulationists included SSH members as well as simulation users from partner organizations across the globe. 

A record-setting, sold-out President’s Diamond Ball officially kicked off the conference, during which we recognized our new class of Academy Fellows, the newly Accredited simulation programs, certified individuals, our past presidents, and our newest program – the ASCEND program. ASCEND stands for Advancing Simulation Careers & Empowering Next-Generation Development (ASCEND) and is designed to recognize and engage 20 up-and-coming simulationists, each of whom is new to the profession. We are excited to work with this group of future simulation leaders through a structured mentoring program over the next year. 

This past IMSH also saw us celebrate the launch of the Commission for International Simulation Accreditation (CISA) with the Sociedad Mexicana de Simulación en Ciencias de la Salud (SOMESICS). CISA allows SSH to partner with International Affiliate Organizations (IAOs) to provide dual accreditation for programs outside the United States. It is designed to overcome barriers that limit international program participation in simulation accreditation. 

We also launched our newest accreditation program area – SSH Accreditation in Human Simulation Standards – for programs incorporating the standardized patient teaching/assessment methodology.  The launch of this program coincided with Dr. Howard Barrows being recognized as the newest SSH Pioneer in Simulation Award recipient for his work with simulated/standardized patients and problem-based learning. 

As I begin my year as President, I want to reassure our membership that we will continue to be focused on implementing our strategic plan while staying true to our mission of serving the global community of practice and advancing the use of simulation for education and patient safety. 

We will continue to advocate for simulation, push forward research and innovation agendas, provide education and learning programs, increase credentialing opportunities (accreditation and certification), and ensure a strong, vibrant organization that is poised for continued growth. We will work to continue to ensure we have a welcoming and open community where all simulationists feel safe to be part of our organization and where even more simulationists from across the globe come to be a part of our community. 

Finally, over the coming year, our membership will see many exciting enhancements to the Society. We are already working on our new website, learning management system, and association management system; these new systems will go live during the first quarter of 2025. 

Stay tuned for more information on these and other new enhancements. 

Sincerely,

Jared Kutzin, DNP, MS, MPH, RN, CHSOS, FSSH, FAAN
2025-26 SSH President