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Faculty & Staff

The Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation (YCHS) is a collaborative, inter-professional simulation center for Yale School of Medicine (YSM) and the Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS) accredited by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. Our mission is to provide excellent patient care through innovative medical education, assessment, research, and outreach.

Our team boasts a multifaceted skill set encompassing a wide variety of expertise. Our breadth of experience allows us to offer a wide range of simulation-based services, including both mannequin-based fully interactive simulators and live simulated participants. Contact us for more information about our offerings or how we can help you.

Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation Executive Director

  • Leigh Evans, MD

    Executive Director

    Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine; Section Chief, Medical Simulation, Emergency Medicine; Executive Director, Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation, Emergency Medicine

    Leigh Evans, MD is an Associate Professor and Medical Simulation Section Chief in the Department of Emergency Medicine, and the Executive Director of Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation (YCHS). She oversees all simulation activities at Yale School of Medicine and the Yale-New Haven Health system. There are currently 20 faculty and staff members at YCHS She is the recipient of the Outstanding Teaching Award in Emergency Medicine in 2003 and 2005. Dr. Evans is the recipient of the Yale School of Medicine Bohmfalk Teaching Prize in 2008, the Alvan R. Feinstein Award in 2015, and the 2019 American College of Emergency Physicians National Emergency Medicine Faculty Teaching Award. In 2024, she received The Yale Medicine Distinguished Clinical Career Award which recognizes and honors the careers of physicians marked by significant accomplishments, exemplary dedication, and important contributions in advancing Yale Medicine, the overall medical profession, and the community. Her research interests are in the transfer of simulation skills to the clinical setting and the use of simulation for medical student and resident clinical assessment. She was the Principal Investigator for an AHRQ grant “Simulation Training for Ultrasound Guided Central Venous Catheter Insertion” and a recent AHRQ RO1 "Improving patient and clinician safety during COVID-19 through a rapidly adaptive simulation intervention." She is currently the PI for a 5 year NIH R25 Science Education Partnership Award to support the Yale Simulation Academy, a hands-on, after-school outreach program for under-represented New Haven high school students. The Yale Simulation Academy allows high schoolers to see STEM education in action, and learn first-hand about careers in the health care profession.
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Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation Faculty

  • Marc Auerbach, MD, FAAP, MSc

    Professor of Pediatrics (Emergency Medicine) and of Emergency Medicine; Executive Team Member, Co-lead Knowledge Management, Emergency Medical Services for Children Innovation and Improvement Center; Director, Pediatric Simulation, Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation, Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation; Co-director of Education, Yale Site Lead, Pediatric Pandemic Network, https://pedspandemicnetwork.org/

    Education
    MSc, New York University, 2008; MD, University of Buffalo, 2002
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  • Samuel Buck, MD

    Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine

    Education
    MD, Baylor College of Medicine, 2017; BA, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, 2012
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  • Tatiana Moylan, MD

    Assistant Professor; Director of DEI and outreach, Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation

    Education
    MD, Boston University School of Medicine, 2018; BA, Australian National University, 2010; Non Degree Program, Gakushuin University (Through Australian National University), 2010
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  • Dennis Shung, MD, MHS, PhD

    Assistant Professor of Medicine (Digestive Diseases); Director of Digital Health, Digestive Diseases; Director of Applied Artificial Intelligence, Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation; Director of Applied Artificial Intelligence, Clinical and Translational Research Accelerator (CTRA)

    Education
    PhD, Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, 2022; MHS, Yale School of Medicine, 2020; MD, Baylor College of Medicine, 2014; BS, Rice University, 2010; BA, Rice University, 2010
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  • Anthony Tomassoni, MD, MS, FACEP, FACMT, FAACT

    Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine; Medical Director, Yale New Haven Center for Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response

    Education
    MD, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, 1989; MS, Fairleigh Dickinson University, 1984; BA, Fairleigh Dickinson University, 1979
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Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation Staff

  • Christopher Banziruk

    Staff Affiliate - YNHH

    Chris Banziruk is a Simulation Operations Specialist. He designs and coordinates the implementation of simulation technology to meet education needs throughout the health system. Prior to joining the team, he spent over 6 years working as a Collections Technician II in the Biomedical Division of the American Red Cross where he took on additional roles specializing in team management, project tracking, process implementation and employee safety development. He completed his bachelor’s degree at Western Connecticut State University and his experience brings a blend of clinical proficiency and technical insight to the team.
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  • Luis Cruz

    Classroom Technology and Media Coordinator 2; Classroom Technology and Media Coordinator II

    Luis Cruz is a Senior Simulation Specialist with over a decade of experience in simulation operations. He has participated in workshops at the International Meeting for Simulation in Healthcare and has obtained his Certified Healthcare Simulation Operations Specialist certification (CHSOS) from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. Prior to coming to Yale, he spent over 20 years in a business/corporate setting working in IT as a Unix Systems Engineer.
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  • Janine Doucette

    Staff Affiliate - YNHH

    Janine Doucette is the Simulation Data Coordinator and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business and Healthcare Management. She has 20 years of experience in project coordination, executive support and data analytics within healthcare. Janine joined Yale New Haven Health in 2013 and transferred to the simulation center in 2018. She specializes in collecting and managing data to produce reports that are accurate, meaningful and timely for stakeholders.
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  • Christian Gonzalez

    Staff Affiliate - YNHH

    Christian Gonzalez is a Simulation Operations Specialist. His educational background in biomedical science was integral for the quality and clinical engineering positions he practiced for four years. He gained experience in medical device testing, product validation, and tissue handling in both settings. With this experience, he provides in-situ simulation support across YNHHS hospitals with the goal of strengthening learner outcomes through behavioral and simulation assessments. When he is not in simulation, he is pursuing a master’s degree in neuroscience and he is a member of the Medical Reserves Corps of Fairfield County.
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  • Joy Grabow

    Simulation Manager

    Joy Grabow is the Simulation Manager, and she has worked in simulation for over ten years, coordinating and supervising the general activities that occur within the center and acting as the liaison between the various departments and the sim center faculty. She has professional experience as an Educational Trainer, Regional Sales Trainer, Office Manager and Program Director. Joy was a professional actress for 25 years and is currently a Theatrical Director/Acting Coach. Joy’s background in theater has prepared her well for the “medical theater” involved in healthcare simulation. Joy studied Theatre Arts at the University of Wisconsin.
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  • Antonietta Hallet, MA

    Staff Affiliate - YNHH

    Education
    MA, Fairfield University, 2023
    Antonietta Hallet is the Simulation Development & Strategy Administrator. She has extensive experience in corporate and regulatory compliance, employee relations, leadership development, strategy, change management, public relations, event management, communications and marketing. She has been employed in both the corporate and the non-profit sectors and, with a diverse background, brings a great deal of innovative experience to the team. Antonietta holds a Master of Communications degree and an HR Management Certificate, both from Fairfield University. She also holds an Executive Healthcare Leadership Certificate from Cornell University and an Executive Transformational Coaching certificate.
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  • Barbara Hildebrand, BFA

    Assistant Director, Simulated Participant Program; Assistant Director, Simulated Participant Program, Teaching and Learning Center

    Education
    AS, Sacred Heart University, 2003; BFA, Paier College of Art, 1993; AS, Southern CT State University, 1991
    Barbara joined Yale University and the Office of Education in 2008. From 2009-15 she managed the Preclinical Clerkship, Clinical Skills and Standardized Patient programs. Since 2016 Barbara has moved to the Teaching & Learning Center and oversees the day-to-day management of the Standardized Patient (SP) Program and coordinates the teaching summary letters for Sr. A&P Faculty appointments.  Prior to coming to Yale, Barbara worked as a Print Production manager at BPA Worldwide in Shelton, CT.Barbara has a BFA degree in graphic design from Paier College of Art.A Pinterest newbie Barbara enjoys following others on Pinterest, cooking, gardening and yoga/Pilates. She lives by the water in Milford and enjoys being outdoors in the warm summer months most of all.
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  • Jeffrey Hoffman

    Media Technician 3

    Jeff Hoffman is a Simulation Operations Specialist with eight years of experience. He majored in Digital Media and Television Production at Daytona State college. His experience, working at ESPN for almost seven years, allows him to bring extensive A/V knowledge to the team.
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  • Karen Lombardi

    Staff Affiliate - YNHH

    Karen Lombardi is a Simulation Learning Consultant who identifies opportunities for improvement, innovation and development of initiatives for the integration of simulation in clinical education and curriculum. Karen’s experience as one of the co-leaders of the Regional Neonatology Bootcamp at Yale provides her the scope to network with other simulation programs at local, state, regional and national levels to develop and utilize best practices for program development. Her clinical background and simulation experience provide developmental and operational guidance through all stages of program design and implementation. Prior to joining the team, she worked as a respiratory therapist for Yale New Haven Hospital. Karen is currently pursuing her master’s degree.
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  • Cheryl Mayeran

    Staff Affiliate - YNHH

    Cheryl Mayeran is a Senior Simulation Learning Consultant who develops curriculum and designs and implements healthcare simulations. She conducts faculty development courses in basic and advanced debriefing and serves as a preceptor for new simulation faculty. Cheryl has extensive experience in program development, project management, emergency medical services education, emergency management operations and planning, and public health administration. She holds a BS in biology from Fairfield University, and a MS in public health administration from Boston University School of Medicine.
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  • Samantha Paull, MS
    Education
    MS, Illinois State University, 2014
    Samantha Paull, MS is the Human Factors Engineer for the Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation, with a focus on improving safety and efficiency. She is a results-driven professional with a diverse background spanning human factors engineering, psychology, and healthcare. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Biology from Eastern Connecticut State University, a Master of Science in Psychology, specializing in Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences from Illinois State University, and a Graduate Certificate in Human Factors Engineering with a concentration in Medical Devices and Systems from Tufts University. She is currently working toward a second Master of Science in Human Factors Engineering at Tufts University.
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Location & Email

Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation, 728 and 730 Howard Avenue New Haven, CT 06519

Hours & Phone

Open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm.