Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS)

09/21/2026

🫀🖨️ Monday Fun fact: We’re printing organs in Tampa.
No, really!

The future of health care is taking shape — one layer at a time — through the TGH–USF Health 3D Visualization and Printing Lab at CAMLS. Using patient-specific medical imaging, the team can create highly detailed 3D models of organs that give physicians something extraordinary: the opportunity to see, hold and better understand complex anatomy before a procedure ever begins. It’s where technology, research, education and patient care come together — and it’s happening right here in Tampa. 🤘💚

The Tampa Bay Times recently went inside the lab to see how this collaboration between USF Health and Tampa General Hospital is helping physicians prepare for complex surgeries and working toward better health outcomes.

📰 Check out the link to the story in the comments and see what happens when medicine meets 3D printing.

Tampa General Hospital Tampa Bay Times Tampa General Hospital USF Health-University of South Florida

09/18/2026

🔥 Simulation is about more than technology. It’s about community. As we close out Healthcare Simulation Week, we’re taking a look back at one of the moments that brought that community together right here at USF Health CAMLS—SimOps 2026: IGNITE.

For three unforgettable days, simulation operations specialists, educators, technicians, researchers and industry leaders came together in Tampa to exchange ideas, build connections and explore what’s next for healthcare simulation.
From immersive workshops and hands-on learning to new technology and conversations with colleagues from around the world, IGNITE demonstrated what’s possible when the simulation community shares its knowledge, creativity and experience.

🎥 Take a look back at SimOps 2026: IGNITE and the people helping move healthcare simulation forward.
To everyone who teaches, operates, designs, troubleshoots, researches, innovates and makes simulation possible—Healthcare Simulation Week is your week. We were proud to welcome so many of you to CAMLS. 💚

One community. One shared mission. Endless possibilities.
Have a wonderful weekend. UNTIL NEXT YEAR!! 🔥

Society for Simulation in Healthcare USF Health-University of South Florida

09/18/2026

During Healthcare Simulation Week, our Executive Director & CEO, Dr. Haru Okuda, joined simulation leaders from Stanford University, Harvard University, Old Dominion University, UT Southwestern Medical Center, and the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH) on Capitol Hill to advocate for the future of healthcare simulation.

Together, they met with Congressional offices to highlight the role simulation plays in strengthening the healthcare workforce, improving patient safety, advancing innovation, and enhancing healthcare and emergency preparedness across the country.

At CAMLS, we’re proud to be part of this national effort and to help ensure that healthcare simulation has a voice in conversations shaping the future of healthcare.

09/17/2026

🚑 We are taking Healthcare Simulation Week on the road!

This week, CAMLS is bringing simulation directly to Hendry Regional Medical Center in Clewiston, Florida, as part of our Obstetrical Transitions of Care: Interdisciplinary Practices for Rural Providers initiative. Led by faculty Dr. Penni Eggers and Dr. John Caravello, with simulation team members Grace Rainwater and Kevin Murcia, this hands-on training brings nursing and EMS professionals together to prepare for obstetric emergencies through realistic, high-fidelity simulation.
It’s a perfect example of what Healthcare Simulation Week is all about: using simulation to strengthen teamwork, sharpen clinical decision-making and help healthcare professionals prepare for critical moments — wherever care happens.

Through this statewide initiative, CAMLS and its partners are bringing expert faculty, simulation equipment and immersive training directly to rural Florida communities, helping teams build skills and confidence in the environments where they actually care for patients.

🌎 Simulation doesn’t have to stay inside the simulation center. Sometimes, we take it on the road.

. USF Health-University of South Florida Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative Florida Center for Emergency Medical Services Society for Simulation in Healthcare

09/17/2026

🎬 You’ve heard what a SimOp does. Now meet one of the people bringing simulation to life at CAMLS.

As we continue celebrating Healthcare Simulation Week, we’re putting the spotlight on Janet Serratos, Simulation Operator at USF Health CAMLS. Behind every immersive simulation is a team working to make the experience feel real. From operating simulation technology and preparing clinical environments to adapting behind the scenes as scenarios unfold, Simulation Operators play an essential role in creating meaningful learning experiences.

In this CAMLS Spotlight, Janet takes us behind the scenes of her work and shares her perspective on a growing pathway into the field: USF’s Undergraduate Healthcare Simulation Sciences Concentration.
For students interested in the intersection of healthcare, technology, education and innovation, simulation offers career possibilities they may not even know exist.

🎥 Meet Janet, hear her story and discover another side of healthcare simulation.

Because simulation doesn't just prepare the next generation of healthcare professionals—it takes a talented team to make that preparation possible.

And stay tuned for a bonus post this afternoon! 😀

USF Health-University of South Florida Society for Simulation in Healthcare

09/16/2026

🎨🩺 How real can simulation get? Sometimes, surprisingly real!

As we continue celebrating Healthcare Simulation Week, we’re taking a closer look at one of the creative tools that helps turn a training scenario into an immersive experience: moulage.
At USF Health CAMLS, Dr. Melissa Milner, DNP, MSN-Ed, RN, Director of Clinical Simulation, explores the art and science of creating realistic injuries for healthcare simulation.
But it’s about much more than making a scenario look convincing.

Realistic details can challenge learners to assess what they see, make decisions, communicate as a team and respond to situations that more closely reflect what they could encounter in real-world patient care.

🎥 Watch and learn how a little creativity, clinical knowledge and simulation expertise can make training feel remarkably real.

Because when training feels real, learning gets real. 💚

Society for Simulation in Healthcare USF Health-University of South Florida

09/15/2026

💡 We’ve taken you behind the scenes of simulation. Now, let’s talk about why it matters.

As we continue celebrating Healthcare Simulation Week, Dr. Melissa Milner, DNP, MSN-Ed, RN, Director of Clinical Simulation at USF Health CAMLS, shares how simulation-based education helps prepare healthcare professionals for the moments that matter most. Through immersive scenarios and hands-on learning, simulation gives learners the opportunity to practice skills, strengthen critical thinking, build confidence and improve teamwork—all within a safe learning environment before those skills are needed in real-world patient care.

At CAMLS, that means bringing together people, technology and education to create realistic learning experiences designed to strengthen clinical competency and support safer, more effective care.

🎥 Hear from Dr. Milner about the power of learning through simulation and how it continues to transform healthcare education.
https://youtu.be/EAZ_HTxLUWw

Practice. Learn. Improve. Then be ready when it counts. 💚
That’s the power of simulation.


USF Health-University of South Florida Society for Simulation in Healthcare

In this video, Melissa Milner, DNP, MSN-Ed, RN, Director of Clinica...

09/14/2026

🎬🩺 Healthcare Simulation Week is here!

This year’s theme, “Sim Found Me,” celebrates the unique people, career paths and experiences that make healthcare simulation possible. So, we’re kicking off the week by shining a spotlight on one of the roles working behind the scenes at USF Health CAMLS:

What exactly is a SimOp? 🤔

Simulation Operations Specialists help bring simulation to life—operating high-tech manikins, managing simulation technology, troubleshooting equipment and creating realistic clinical environments where learners can prepare for real-world patient care.

They’re part technician. Part problem-solver. Part creative force. And an essential part of the simulation team.

🎥 Take a quick look behind the scenes and discover the people, technology and creativity helping make simulation happen at CAMLS.
https://youtu.be/25aBj35czRs

No SimOp. No sim. 💚

All week long, we’ll be celebrating the people and possibilities that make healthcare simulation such a powerful tool for education, innovation and patient safety.

. USF Health-University of South Florida Society for Simulation in Healthcare

09/11/2026

Today, September 11, we honor the lives lost, the families forever changed, and the first responders, healthcare professionals and everyday citizens who answered an unimaginable moment with courage and compassion.

At USF Health CAMLS, our work is rooted in preparation, teamwork and service to others—values that carry special meaning on this day. We remember those who ran toward danger to help others. We honor those who continue to serve their communities. And we reflect on the strength that can be found when people come together in times of greatest need.

Never forgotten. 🇺🇸

USF Health-University of South Florida

09/10/2026

🏒 Hockey season is just around the corner—and preparation is already underway! ⚡

Last night, USF Health CAMLS once again teamed up with the Tampa Bay Lightning for hands-on simulation training designed to prepare healthcare professionals for the unexpected on game day. This training continues a relationship that has brought USF Health, CAMLS and the Lightning together for years, using realistic simulation to strengthen teamwork, communication and readiness when every second counts.

From the simulation lab to the ice, it’s all about preparation—so when the puck drops, the team behind the team is ready. 🏒⚡

We’re proud to continue working alongside the Tampa Bay Lightning and supporting the healthcare professionals who help keep players safe throughout the season. Here’s to another great season—and another year of teamwork on and off the ice! 💚

Tampa Bay Lightning USF Health-University of South Florida