Jennifer Calzada, MPH, CHSE, FSSH | Director for Simulation Education
Jennifer Calzada, MPH, CHSE, FSSH is a 17-year veteran of marketing and business development. She has led the Tulane Sim Center as the Director for Simulation since before its opening in January 2009. She has helped establish the Tulane Sim Center as an efficient and effective medical education training center for the School of Medicine and worked with the greater healthcare community to bring the benefits of advanced simulation training to their systems to reduce medical error and ultimately increase patient safety. The Tulane Sim Center's mission focuses on education and training for Tulane medical students, residents, and fellows. In addition, professional courses are offered for the wider healthcare community, including custom trainings to help any health system meet their patient safety goals.
Jennifer was inducted into the Academy as a Fellow of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare in January 2024; she became a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator in 2022; has been a TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer since 2010; was certified in Human Centered Healthcare (The New School, NY) in 2020; and is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences. She currently holds various committee positions in the medical education and healthcare fields, including, a recent Board of Directors Director-At-Large for the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH), Advisor for the American Hospital Association Center for Health Innovation, and Accreditation Site Reviewer for both SSH and the American College of Surgeons Accredited Education Institutes Consortium.
Jennifer's background includes:
- Fellow of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare
- Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator, Society for Simulation in Healthcare
- Certified in Human Centered Healthcare, The New School, New York
- Certified in ROI Methodology, ROI Institute
- Certified in Essential Skills in Medical Education, An International Association for Medical Education (AMEE)
- Certified as TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
- MPH in Global Environmental Health Sciences and Disaster Management, Tulane University School of Public Health, New Orleans
- MA in Media Studies, The New School, New York
- BA in Communications, Loyola University, New Orleans
Benjamin Rothwell, MD | Medical Director for Simulation
Ben Rothwell, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at Tulane University School of Medicine, in the Deming Department of Medicine. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Utah where he studied Biological Chemistry, before graduating from Tulane University School of Medicine. He went on to complete a residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. Following the completion of his residency training in 2008, he returned to Tulane as an academic hospitalist and Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Residency Program. In 2013, he moved to Ochsner Health System, where he worked as a primary care physician for 4 years. He returned to Tulane in 2017 and is once again serving as an academic hospitalist.
His interests include medical education and simulation training, palliative care, and wellness. Dr. Rothwell created some of the code training sessions being utilized by the Internal Medicine Residency Program at the Tulane Sim Center. Dr. Rothwell currently serves as the Co-Medical Director for Simulation, where he works with all medical specialties and learners at all levels.
Sharnell Jones, BS | Manager for Professional Programs
Sharnell Jones received a diploma in Practical Nursing from Capital Area Technical College in Baton Rouge, LA. She also obtained her Bachelor degree in Business Administration from Southern University of New Orleans. Sharnell joined the Tulane Simulation Center in 2017 as the Administrative Program Coordinator, where she quickly learned the day to day operations of American Heart Association (AHA) certifications and with her nursing training became an additional resource to help run simulation sessions, especially Surgery OSCE assessments. At the end of 2018 she was promoted to the role of Program Manager for Professional Programs and Tulane AHA Training Center Coordinator.
Santa Jase, BS | Program Coordinator
Santa Maria Jase earned a diploma in office systems technology, an associate's degree in management, and a bachelor's degree in human services and management. She joined the Tulane Simulation Center team in 2019, as the Administrative Program Coordinator. With Santa's education and diverse experience in non-profit, private, and government organizations, she efficiently handles the daily operations of the Tulane Simulation Center and the American Heart Association (AHA) Training Center. She also assists with the coordination of various courses and certifications provided at the Tulane Simulation Center, including AHA and Trauma Education Programs.
Hellene Gabor, BSN | Operations Manager
Hellene came to the Tulane Sim Center from Doha, Qatar, where she was a Simulation Specialist / Education Specialist / AHA Instructor at Sidra Medicine. She spent 7 years at Sidra involved in the planning of simulation education, the development of policies and procedures, facilitating mock codes for clinical staff, and is experienced in instructional design and adult learning theories. Her experience at Sidra and previous experience at the Oman Medical Specialty Board Simulation Center, bring hospital centric simulation to the academic setting at Tulane. She is the first Operations Manager at the Tulane Sim Center and is already working to streamline processes at the center.
Cheri Touchard, BS | Senior Simulation Specialist
Cheri Touchard has been in the medical research field for over 20 years. Cheri started her career conducting bench research experiments at Ochsner Medical Center. Cheri came to the Tulane School of Medicine to run the Minimally Invasive Surgery Lab in the Department of Surgery and moved to the Tulane Simulation Center at our inception to become the lead simulation specialist. Cheri works with all departments and external clients to support their education and training efforts in planning and running simulation sessions and assessments.
Heather Marshall, BS, CRT | Simulation Operations Specialist
Heather Marshall received a BS in Cardiopulmonary Care Science from Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, LA in 2010. Heather comes to the Tulane Simulation Center from Ochsner Medical Center where she was a Charge Respiratory Therapist, Preceptor, Educator for “Nurses Rock” Orientation, and worked in all areas of the facility, including NICU, ICU and the ER. Heather has a passion for educating both her patients and her peers and is looking forward to being a resource here at the Tulane Simulation Center.
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