Safar Symposium

Transforming Pediatric Care Through Simulation

May 16, 2025

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Online or at WISER

To register, please click here

Jennifer Arnold, MD

Dr. Jennifer Arnold is a pediatrician, neonatologist, and expert in healthcare simulation at Boston Children’s Hospital. Her unique perspective on medicine has been shaped by the various ways she has engaged with the field: as a pediatric and adult patient, cancer survivor, mother, and doctor. A native of St. Petersburg, FL, Arnold received her undergraduate degrees in biology and psychology from the University of Miami. She completed her medical degree at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 2000 and attended a pediatric residency program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in 2003. Arnold was a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral scholar at the University of Pittsburgh’s Safar Center for Resuscitative Medicine from 2006 to 2007. During her fellowship in neonatology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Magee-Women’s Hospital, she also pursued a Master of Science in medical education, graduating in 2009. A founding director of the simulation centers at both Texas Children’s Hospital and Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Dr. Arnold has a passion for innovating the application of healthcare simulation as a patient safety tool. She is currently the executive director for the Immersive Design Systems at Boston Children’s Hospital, the primary pediatric teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School. She is also an attending physician in the Bone Health Center and Newborn Medicine Division at Boston Children’s Hospital. She is the host of Boston Children’s Hospital’s Answers Parentcast, a podcast focused on helping parents raise healthy and happy kids. Dr. Arnold is an internationally known speaker, published NYT best-selling author (Life is Short, No Pun Intended and Think Big), and recipient of awards for innovation in medical education and patient-care. She has spoken both nationally and internationally on healthcare simulation and has made inspirational speeches on overcoming obstacles as an individual with a disability. Dr. Arnold’s passion is to advocate for pediatric healthcare and raising awareness for individuals with disabilities. It is this passion that led her to a career in medicine and to focus her media efforts in this effort. Dr. Arnold has a rare type of dwarfism called Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Type Strudwick (which involved more than 30 orthopedic surgeries). She is a 10-year cancer survivor. Not only does she have a disability and has personally overcome extraordinary physical and health obstacles, but she is the mother of two kids with medical complexities, both with skeletal dysplasia. With her husband, Bill Klein, and their two children, they were featured from 2009 to 2019 on TLC’s docuseries “The Little Couple,” an unscripted program that provided a window into the family’s personal and professional lives. The show’s popularity helped to break down barriers and educate viewers about people with disabilities.

Jared W. Henricksen, MD, MS-HPEd

Dr. Henricksen is a Utah native who earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin and completed his Pediatric Residency at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He specialized in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine through a Fellowship at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. Additionally, he holds a master’s degree in Health Profession’s Education from the MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston. He serves as a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics’ Division of Critical Care in the University of Utah Health system and concurrently as the Intermountain Health Simulation Consortium Medical Director. His interests include demonstrating the value of simulation in healthcare to promote patient safety, and nurturing a culture of high reliability and psychological safety within hospital settings.

Alyssa Vigliotti, MD

Alyssa Vigliotti, MD is a practicing general pediatrician within the Division of General Academic Medicine at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. As an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, she has a passion for preventative medicine and children’s healthcare. She is currently completing a Master of Science degree in medical education. Her current interests and areas of focus include optimizing pediatric primary care education for trainees and utilizing simulation in the ambulatory setting to enhance emergency preparedness. 

Advait Kothare, MB, BCH, BAO

Dr. Kothare is an Emergency Physician at UPMC Shadyside Hospital, and a current fellow in Simulations and Medical Education with WISER. His main interests are in in-situ simulation, pediatric resuscitation preparedness, an community engagement in simulations. He is honored to have the opportunity to discuss his passions for pediatric emergency prepardness through simulation. 

Melinda Fiedor Hamilton, MD, MSc

Dr. Melinda F Hamilton is a Professor of Critical Care Medicine and Pediatrics within the Department of Critical Care Medicine. She received her medical degree from Creighton University School of Medicine, completed pediatric residency at Penn State/Hershey Medical Center, and completed pediatric critical care fellowship at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. She was a Safar Center for Resuscitation and Research NIH T32 scholar from 2003-2005 during which time she completed a master’s degree in Medical Education from the University of Pittsburgh in 2005. Dr. Hamilton is an active, dedicated clinician in the pediatric intensive care unit, where she feels privileged to provide care for critically ill patients and their families.

Dr. Hamilton is recognized as an expert in pediatric simulation, pediatric resuscitation education and communication skills training. She is an avid clinician educator, providing didactic and simulation sessions for faculty, residents, fellows, and nursing. Dr. Hamilton has a particular interest in teaching communication skills and has facilitated communication training sessions across UPMC. Dr. Hamilton is an avid mentor and advisor, having mentored CHP pediatric residents, fellows and faculty peers.

Dr. Hamilton has held several leadership positions. She was the program director for the Pediatric Critical Care Medicine fellowship program for 8 years. She is also the co-chair of UPMC GME Professional Development Subcommittee and is responsible for creation and dissemination of faculty and trainee development material to our 150+ training programs. As director for the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Pediatric Simulation Center, Dr. Hamilton oversees all operational aspects of the center. In 2021-2022, Dr. Hamilton was elected to represent the University of Pittsburgh in the prestigious Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM®) program for women. She is also the President for the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Medical staff, president-elect for the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Academy of Distinguished Medical Educators and the Co-Lead for the Longitudinal Educator program within the newly established Three Rivers Curriculum at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.