"My SHE family" by Walter Eppich

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December generally serves as a time to reflect on the past year. 2020 in particular has given us much to think about: lockdowns and online learning; loved ones we may have lost; multiple challenges to overcome. And silver linings for which to be grateful.

The silver linings for which to be grateful: work teams pulling together to innovate in response to the COVID pandemic at a pace unthinkable one year ago; the closeness of friends and family even though they are miles away; a sense of community despite the distance. And when I think of community and family, my mind naturally turns to my SHE family and friends from around the world, who have played such an important role in my life these past years. I am sure I am not alone when I say the Maastricht University SHE community has left indelible marks on so many of us.

Amidst the unexpected turmoil of 2020, life presented opportunities open to me largely as a result of my PhD journey at Maastricht University, a journey I completed 2 years ago. This fall I left my position as a pediatric emergency physician and clinical educator at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine to assume a new role as Professor and Chair of Simulation Education and Research at the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, a medical and health sciences university in Dublin.

At RCSI SIM, our simulation program, I now devote my full attention to educational research and extend the research program I developed as a Maastricht PhD candidate: the potential of conversational learning, healthcare communication, and team reflection. I look forward to working with an outstanding team in a state-of-the art simulation centre to advance simulation science. Naturally I also seek to maintain and deepen my connections with SHE and Maastricht University through continued participation in the “PhD Writing Course”, co-supervising a PhD candidate, and exploring future collaborations.

The SHE PhD program, with its online format and superb research mentorship, trains the next generation of educational scientists in a manner fitting for our current virtual educational climate. Research collaborations over time and space represent the new norm.

So as 2020 ends, thank you to my SHE family—more to come!

Walter Eppich, MD, PhD. Professor of Simulation Education and Research. RCSI SIM Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland. Dublin, Ireland