Two nursing simulation leaders from Mount Saint Mary College took center stage on the national healthcare stage this week, leading the Society for Simulation in Healthcare’s (SSH) flagship webinar to inaugurate Healthcare Simulation Week 2026.
The 30-minute virtual panel, titled “Sim Found Me,” took place on Monday, September 14, serving as the official kickoff for the annual global observance running September 14–18.
The event was moderated by Stacia Donaldson, MBA, RN, CHSE, CHSOS, CNEpv, Director of Simulation at the Mount’s School of Nursing and Co-Chair of the SSH Healthcare Simulation Week 2026 Taskforce.
Kerryann Gough, MSN, RN, CPN, Learning Resource Center Manager at Mount Saint Mary College, served as a featured panelist alongside healthcare simulation professionals from Indiana University Health and PRAXIS.
Anchored by this year’s theme, “Sim Found Me,” the panel explored the non-linear, multifaceted career journeys that lead professionals into clinical simulation. Gough, a certified pediatric nurse, shared her path into academia and simulation-based training alongside peers with backgrounds in biomedical engineering and giftware design.
"Those who work in healthcare simulation come from a variety of career backgrounds,” said Donaldson. “Moderating this panel was a chance to show how varied our paths are and how every one of them ultimately serves the same goal: safer patient care.”
Established by SSH in 2017, Healthcare Simulation Week celebrates global professionals who design, execute, and advocate for simulation-based education. At Mount Saint Mary College, the School of Nursing integrates high-fidelity simulation across undergraduate and graduate curricula, allowing students to navigate complex clinical scenarios, including emergency, trauma, psychiatric, cardiac, and maternal-child health - prior to treating live patients.
Mount Saint Mary College is a private, coeducational institution in Newburgh, N.Y., offering robust undergraduate and graduate programs focused on career preparation, values-based leadership, and community service.