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Bethany Cieslowski has been named Chief Innovation Officer for Immersive Technologies for the College of Public Health. In the first role of its kind in the College, Cieslowski will lead technological innovation in teaching and learning across all the College’s departments with a focus on VR and simulation.
“The Chief Innovation Officer role reinforces the College’s commitment to technology-enabled curriculum, research, and workforce development initiatives. As an early adopter of VR in the classroom, this is a natural next step for us. Having Dr. Cieslowski in this new role will accelerate the College’s virtual reality capabilities to prepare students across disciplines for public health challenges,” said Dean Melissa Perry.
The Center is home to six VR experts including Simulation Operations Specialist Devin Pace and Sindhu Mallala, who will transition from a Graduate Research Assistant to Simulation Coordinator in January 2024.
Additionally, Cieslowski will continue to develop the College’s bench of simulation-certified faculty. In addition to the previously announced, Certified Healthcare Simulation Educators (CHSE), adjunct faculty member Janine Doran is now the College’s fifth CHSE. CHSE certification signifies the unique skillsets facilitators possess to accelerate student learning using simulation-based education such as VR.
Priority initiatives within the center include making VR-enabled technology available to every student, developing curriculum to prepare students for an increasingly interprofessional workforce, and providing additional opportunities students with clinical requirements.