Q&A with Dr. Dave Rodgers
Manager of Interprofessional Learning and Simulation at the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
What are your research interests?
I am most interested in learning theory, curriculum design, and faculty development. All three of these areas are intertwined and I have been fortunate to present and publish on all three topics. Plus, I get to teach curriculum design in the graduate program at Penn State University.
What is the most innovative sim-related activity you do in your work?
Picking one program as the most innovative is tough to do. Our staff is very creative and they develop new innovations pretty regularly. We even presented some of our innovations at conferences. If I could change the question to the most satisfying, then that becomes easier with simulation educator development being the answer. This includes our Simulation Education and Research Fellowship. This program provides advanced education for people interested in expanding their teaching skills. We have had participants from other countries come here to learn about simulation, then take it back home to build simulation programs. Others come to us as International Medical Graduates to learn new skills to make them more marketable to US residency programs while also keeping their existing skills proficient and learning about the US healthcare system. We have been able to place two of our Fellows into residency programs at Hershey, and one of them won a major teaching award using the skills he learned here.
Why did you join IPSS?
The IPSS community is very interactive. Once I started attending the conferences, I found them to be exceptional. Great content, great presenters, and great relationships within that community. The scale of IPSS is such that people don’t get lost in the masses of some larger organization. Plus, the focus on pediatrics keeps the clinical content relevant to my interests.
What do you gain from your IPSS membership?
As I mentioned, it is the sense of community that provides the biggest plus for my membership. I have been able to participate in committee work and help with other projects. As the society matures, we are starting to see other advantages open such as increased communications and educational opportunities.
David Rodgers is manager of Interprofessional Learning and Simulation at the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. In this role he manages the Clinical Simulation Center, the Standardized Patient Program, and the Resuscitation Sciences Training Center. Clinically trained as a paramedic, he also has a doctorate in education with emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction.
