South Hosts Gulf Coast Health Simulation Consortium
Posted on October 3, 2025
Dr. Jennifer Arnold, pediatrician, neonatologist, internationally recognized speaker, best-selling author and expert in healthcare simulation brought her unique perspective to the University of South Alabama as the keynote speaker for the Gulf Coast Health Simulation Consortium attended by health professionals from across the country.
Arnold gave two presentations during the Consortium, the first addressed inclusiveness in healthcare, drawing on her personal experiences pursuing a medical career. She has a rare type of dwarfism called Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Type Strudwick and required more than 30 orthopedic surgeries. She is also the mother of two children, both with skeletal dysplasia. Her husband, Bill Klein, and their children were featured on The Learning Channel’s docuseries “The Little Couple” from 2009 to 2019.
“We know that physicians and nurses and allied health professionals that have that lived experience bring increased empathy for their patients, better communications skills and often because of their lived experience have better decision-making with patients and families,” Arnold said.
Arnold’s second presentation focused on the application of healthcare simulation as a tool for patient safety and quality of care.
“Simulation gives us the opportunity to not just work on our technical skills, but nontechnical skills like teamwork and communication, which can improve patient safety and positive outcomes,” she said.
Arnold is the founding director of the simulation centers at both Texas Children’s Hospital and Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and is the executive director for the Immersive Design Systems at Boston Children’s Hospital, the primary pediatric teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School.
“Dr. Arnold is a valuable resource for our conference attendees,” said Dr. Anjie Davis, director USA Simulation Lab. “Her value stems from her dual role as a board-certified physician and the founding director of two renowned simulation programs.”
Arnold came away impressed after touring South’s 39,000 square foot Health Simulation building where students and faculty from USA’s colleges of nursing, allied health professions, medicine and USA Health professionals receive clinical training.
“I’m a little jealous of the amount of space you have,” she said. “The setup is just incredible.”
