Harold A. Spratt Center for Simulation and Clinical Learning at Danbury Hospital, WCHN opened in 2014. The facility is roughly 10,000 sq ft, utilized for Medical Education, Surgical Skills, and Clinical Learning.

The Center’s faculty works collaboratively with content experts and other educators to develop scenarios and programs to meet the diverse needs of professionals from varied disciplines and at different stages of their careers. Because of the recognized link between patient safety, teamwork and communication, the Center places special emphasis on programs that are interprofessional in both scope and reach. The Center’s simulation capabilities also address the need for individuals within teams to master their clinical skills, techniques and use of best practices.

Through its cutting-edge facility, and with programs and curricula that place value on interprofessional care, teamwork and clinical skill, the Harold A. Spratt Center for Simulation and Clinical Learning will improve the safety and quality of patient care.

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General Information: ClinicalSimulation@nuvancehealth.org

 

John Leopold
Network Director of Simulation

John R. Leopold, MSN, MSPH, APRN, FNP-BC, CHSE is the Network Director of Simulation for Nuvance Health. He’s a practicing, board-certified family nurse practitioner, with over 25 years of clinical and leadership experience in healthcare, and over a decade’s experience as a simulation director and educator. Mr. Leopold is accomplished at designing and executing innovative educational programs for various members of the healthcare team, to meet the ever-evolving array of clinical and operational challenges. He earned his Master’s Degree in Nursing from Yale University, holds a Master of Science in Public Health from the University of Connecticut at Chapel Hill, and his Bachelor’s Degree is in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Connecticut. He was drawn to simulation, by his commitment to and passion for improving the quality of care and the experience of patients and their families.

Jackie Sidle, CHSE
Coordinator, Simulated Patient Program

Prior to joining the Nuvance Simulation team in 2018, Jackie served as a standardized patient educator for Yale University School of Medicine and the Frank H. Netter, MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a degree in English Literature and Theatre. Jackie is a member of ASPE (The Association of SP Educators) and SSH (Society for Simulation in Healthcare).

Todd Forkin
Simulation Specialist

Todd began as a volunteer at Danbury Hospital’s Emergency Department in 2005. In 2006 he was hired as a Cardiac Technician where he was part of the Outpatient Stress Testing team. In 2015 he joined the Emergency Department as a PCT. In 2022 Todd began working as a Simulation Specialist in the Harold A. Spratt Center for Simulation and Clinical Learning. He is currently a member of SSH (Society for Simulation in Healthcare).

Bob Brophy
Clinical Simulation Technician

Prior to joining the Nuvance Simulation team as a simulation tech, Bob was a Standardized Patient since 2018. He has worked in healthcare as a CNA/Caregiver since 2015 for skilled nursing and assisted living facilities as well as private duty. He performs music with The Blue Yodels along with his wife.

Michell Herring
Administrative Coordinator

Michelle graduated from Business school with a concentration in Travel & Tourism. She started her career with WCHN as an Administrative Secretary for Nursing Education department in 2004. She has been with Nursing Education/Nursing Administration until she transferred to Medical Education. She was a key player in coordinating the design and furniture/equipment for the opening of the Simulation Center. Since the opening of the Simulation Center she has many roles; scheduler, data collector, tech along with facilitator for some of the simulations.