Chair: Karien Henrico
Dr Karien Henrico started her academic career in 2008 and currently serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Emergency Medical Care at the University of Johannesburg. In 2015, she earned her PhD in Health Professions Education from the University of the Free State, solidifying her expertise in health professions pedagogy. She is currently expanding her global engagement as a Virtual Fellow at Harvard’s Centre for Medical Simulation. Dr Henrico’s teaching philosophy is grounded in social constructivism, and she strongly believes in the transformative power of reflective practice. Over the years, she has taught a wide range of modules across departments and disciplines, always with a focus on collaborative learning and critical thinking. Her research centres on clinical simulation as an educational methodology and the well-being of students in higher education—a dual focus that reflects her commitment to holistic, student-centred learning environments.
As programme coordinator for the Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Simulation, she leads curriculum innovation in a rapidly evolving field. Her work, both nationally and internationally, continues to shape the way simulation is conceptualised and implemented in health professions education. Dr Henrico is a passionate educator, mentor, and scholar, whose work bridges research, teaching, and the advancement of future-ready healthcare education.
Members of the Clinical Simulation Group:
Allison Mandrusiak (Vice-Chair)
Associate Professor Allison Mandrusiak is a Lecturer in Physiotherapy (Cardiothoracics) at The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. Allison leads the acute stream of The UQ Physiotherapy Standardised Patients Program which replicates a fulltime clinic using trained actors as patients. She was Chief Investigator at UQ for a large government-funded Physiotherapy National Simulation Program, in which she collaborated with 16 universities across Australia through all stages of development, implementation and evaluation of simulation. Creating pop-up simulations is one of her specialities, converting regular classrooms into a range of clinical settings and ‘simulating on a shoestring’. Allison has overseen construction of a simulation ward at UQ that has facilitated further advancements in simulation and interprofessional experiences. Allison’s leadership in simulation has been recognised through a number of awards, including UQ, national, and the inaugural U21 HSG Teaching Excellence Award.
Ignacio Villagran
Dr. Ignacio Villagrán is an Assistant Professor and Undergraduate Director at the School of Health Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. He is a physiotherapist with a Master’s in Innovation and a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering. His research focuses on technology-enhanced learning, feedback in clinical education, and artificial intelligence in health professions education. He has led and participated in multiple funded research projects and and has been involved in numerous publications in the area of innovation in teaching, technology-mediated feedback, interprofessional education and learning analytics and artificial intelligence in health sciences education. Dr. Villagrán also coordinates clinical simulation activities and teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses.
John Fung
Dr. John Tai-Chun Fung, RN, DN, is a trailblazer in nursing education and a renowned innovator in integrating generative AI and advanced technologies into healthcare training. As a Senior Lecturer at the School of Nursing, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Dr. Fung has earned prestigious accolades for his exceptional teaching practices, including the Teaching Innovation Award (2020, 2023), the Outstanding Teaching Award (2023), and recognition as a finalist for the 2024 UGC Teaching Award. He is also a distinguished member of the Hong Kong Teaching Excellence Alliance, a network committed to promoting teaching excellence across Hong Kong.
Dr. Fung’s pioneering work includes the development of AI-powered virtual patients and immersive 360 Virtual Reality simulations, revolutionizing nursing education. Backed by over HKD $2.3 million in grants, his initiatives create safe and dynamic environments for students to practice complex clinical scenarios. He actively promotes international collaboration and cultural competence, inspiring educators and students in a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape.
Mauricio Ramírez
Mauricio Ramírez obtained his PhD in Biomedical Engineering and Physics in 2019. He underwent Postdoctoral stays from 2020 to 2022 in Smart Cities, Biometry and Neuroengineering. He is a faculty member of the International NSF IUCRC BRAIN, Candidate member of the national researchers system (SNI), IEEE member. He is currently Assistant Professor at the Mechatronics Department, and Research Professor in the Health/Aging research nucleus of Tecnológico de Monterrey. His research focuses on Neuroengineering, Biometry and Machine Learning applied to Biomedical Systems. He has co-authored more than 25 journal articles, summing over 1,300 citations.
Milton Candela
Milton earned a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Tecnológico de Monterrey, graduating with the highest honors and the highest award for co-curricular excellence. At his university's BRAIN Center, he created Machine Learning models using biometrics (EEG, PPG/EDA, CV) to predict cognitive states as mental fatigue, engineering interest, and emotion. At the FNNDSC at Harvard Medical School, he developed Deep Learning models using fetal MRI data for cortical and subcortical structure segmentation. Milton's research has earned multiple honors, including the Outstanding Student Award (2023, 2024), U21 HSG Student Speaker Award (2024), and an Editor's Choice by Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (2025).
Sandra Monteiro
Dr. Sandra Monteiro is an Associate Professor in the Division of Education and Innovation, Department of Medicine, and a MERIT Scientist in the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University. She also serves as Director of Simulation Scholarship at the Centre for Simulation-Based Learning. Trained in Psychology (BSc, MSc, PhD), her academic foundation includes the study of memory, attention, perception, and human behaviour, as well as principles of experimental design, measurement, and statistical analysis.
Her early research challenged the assumption that more analytical thinking always improves diagnostic accuracy, showing that extended deliberation can sometimes lead to error. This work prompted a broader critique of the emphasis on individual responsibility in clinical performance, and she now advocates for systems-level solutions to support clinician decision-making. Drawing on cognitive and behavioural science, Dr. Monteiro investigates how bias and discrimination influence clinical reasoning, with the goal of advancing equity in healthcare and health professions education.
Her interdisciplinary approach integrates insights from multiple branches of Psychology—including neuroscience, developmental, cognitive, behavioural, and social psychology—to define complex educational problems and develop targeted interventions. She has held several leadership roles shaping high-stakes assessments of clinical competence and continues to influence the design of meaningful evaluation strategies.
Currently, her research is expanding to explore how values, beliefs, and social contexts shape behaviour—particularly in the pursuit of equity and justice in healthcare and education.
Focus of the Universitas 21 Clinical Simulation Working Group
To foster global collaboration, innovation, and research in clinical simulation-based education, with the aim of enhancing learner outcomes, improving patient safety, and promoting equitable, context-responsive simulation practices across the Universitas 21 network.
Key objectives:
Collaborative Research and Scholarship:
Facilitate joint research initiatives, publications, and knowledge sharing in simulation pedagogy and technology.Capacity Building and Knowledge Exchange:
Support mutual development through sharing of best practices, faculty development, and simulation programme design across institutions.Equity and Contextual Responsiveness:
Promote simulation strategies that are adaptable to local needs and resource levels, ensuring relevance across high- and low-resource settings.
Activities / initiatives:
Our current project with funding support from U21 Health Sciences Group is focusing on our Emotions Library and the emotions students experience during clinical simulation
SimEmotions: An Emotion-Centred Collaborative Learning Platform (SimEmotions Library)
We will submit for funding on the - Emotions in Action: Cross-Cultural Exploration of Student Experiences in Clinical Simulation
User Guide
The support needs of health professional educators to teach clinical skills online: Experiences of COVID-19 lockdowns from three countries