Patti Carstens, UNMC’s "simulation pioneer," is taking a new role as manager, simulation research, development and assessment.
Carstens will continue to work closely with Paul Paulman M.D., Jennifer Adams, M.D. and the College of Medicine faculty, staff and students and the Sorrell Clinical Simulation Lab by focusing on her areas of expertise in curriculum design and development and encouraging the adoption of simulation.
Her new phone number will be (402) 559-9596. She will be located in Room 1008, Sim Lab in the UNMC Center for Drug Discovery and Lozier Center for Pharmacy Sciences and Education.
Carstens will also work closely with Ray Layne, the new manager, advanced simulation operations, for iEXCEL and the iEXCEL leadership team as the Sorrell Clinical Skills Lab transitions to iEXCEL operational oversight.
"The College of Medicine is extremely grateful to Patti for the extraordinary effort that she has put into taking the Sorrell Simulation from inception to a thriving and innovative simulation center," said Dr. Paulman, M.D., UNMC assistant dean for clinical skills and quality. "Patti has been a champion of the use of simulation at the College of Medicine, UNMC and the state of Nebraska. She has been a key reason for the growth of simulation activity at UNMC."
Layne will report to Ben Stobbe, executive director for clinical simulation, iEXCEL. He will be responsible for working closely with faculty and students to build upon the excellent accomplishments of Carstens and the Sorrell Simulation Lab staff and help further advance the iEXCEL interprofessional mission, said Pamela Boyers, Ph.D., associate vice chancellor for clinical simulation, iEXCEL.
Layne will also provide oversight of the daily operations of the Sorrell Clinical Simulation Lab. He will, reciprocally, work closely with Dr. Paulman, Carstens and Dr. Adams, assistant professor, anesthesiology, in supporting them with simulation curriculum design, development and assessment.
Layne will work hand-in-hand with the staff in the iEXCEL visualization hub in Room 1012 of the Sorrell Center, so that there is seamless coordination between the simulation lab and the visualization hub.
Layne brings extraordinary credentials to the position, Dr. Boyers said. His formal education is in information technology and organizational leadership. He served as a U.S. Army Ranger (Special Operations Command) and as a health care specialist and recently served in Iraq.
He is experienced in tactical combat casualty care and emergency medical care as well as the continuum of military health care, Dr. Boyers said. Layne also recently served as senior instructor and simulation team member in several military simulation centers.
"With this combination of skills and experience in managing simulation training centers, Ray is extremely familiar with simulation equipment and technology (human patient simulators, simulation capture systems and the adoption of curriculum to hands-on experiences)," Dr. Boyers said. "He brings extensive experience in emergency medical treatment, supervision of clinical medical facilities, and cross training team members to operate efficiently and effectively in high-intensity operations."