WELCOME TO IMSH 2026!
The International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH) is a scientific conference that explores the latest innovations and best practices in healthcare simulation. IMSH provides the tools and resources healthcare professionals need to advance their skills, impact change in delivery systems and practice, and, ultimately, to improve patient safety.
Get ready for five powerful days of hands-on workshops, inspiring speakers, and game-changing education. IMSH 2026 will bring together thousands of professionals from around the world — and more than 140+ leading companies — to showcase the latest in healthcare simulation.
It’s your chance to explore what’s next, grow your expertise, and connect with the global simulation community like never before.
Watch for registration to open in September 2025, and we'll see you Jan. 10-14, 2026, in San Antonio, Texas!
2026 IMSH Planning Co-Chairs
John E. Alex, M.D., CHSE-A, CHSOS-A, RDMS, FACEP, FAAEM, is Board Certified in Emergency Medicine and is the Medical Director of the Riverside Simulation Training Lab in Newport News, Virginia. He has been heavily involved in healthcare simulation for over 13 years and is a recognized subject matter expert in military healthcare simulation.
Dr. Alex retired from the U.S. Navy after 20 years of military service, during which time he had the opportunity to establish a simulation center at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Okinawa, Japan; create enduring faculty development programs; design multiple simulation curricula in support of operational military medical forces; develop innovative models for use in procedural skills training; and publish simulation-based research.
Dr. Alex holds both advanced Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator and Operations Specialist credentials, is an active member of SSH, and currently serves as the Chair of the SSH Certification Council and a Peer Reviewer for STORM magazine.
Amy Follmer, CHSOS-A, CHSE, FSSH, is Simulation Technology Strategist at the Zamierowski Institute for Experiential Learning (ZIEL) in Kansas City, Kansas. Amy’s excellence in creative problem solving and navigating technology solutions make her a valuable partner in planning and delivering meaningful simulation activities.
She is an advocate for the advancement of the simulation operations and technology professional career field.
Within SSH, Amy currently serves as a member of the STORM Editorial Board and Chair for the CHSOS-A Certification Subcommittee. Amy holds a B.S. in Journalism with an emphasis in News and Information from the University of Kansas. While Amy’s career in healthcare simulation began as a part-time job in college, her passion and expertise have since led her to a meaningful career in healthcare simulation that positively impacts health system patients and their families.
Syretta Spears, CHSOS-A, CHSE, was one of the first 25 in the world to achieve the esteemed CHSOS-A designation. She is also a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator. She serves as the Director of an internationally accredited and globally endorsed center at the University of Central Florida College of Nursing’s Simulation, Technology, Innovation and Modeling [STIM] Center, managing three campus locations. As the leader of a multidisciplinary team, she strives to ensure excellence amongst a variety of mediums including holograms, telehealth, and traditional high-fidelity simulation-based experiences.
As one of the first formally trained female, non-clinical simulation technicians in Florida (USA), she blazed a trail beginning in 2010. Syretta holds a master’s degree in human resources management and information technology management. In 2017, she became a graduate of the inaugural cohort of the University of Central Florida’s Healthcare Simulation Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program. Her unique qualifications have carved out a specialized niche in advocacy for healthcare simulation operations specialists and human simulation professionals, working towards a standard of equitable and inclusive opportunities for all healthcare simulation professionals.
In service to the simulation community, she has supported the SSH mission, serving as co-chair of the SSH SimOps Conference in 2023, CHSOS-A certification assessor, a member of the CHSE and CHSOS Exam Review Workgroup, and co-chair of the Simulation Operations and Technology Section (SOTS) Nominations Workgroup. Syretta has served as adjunct faculty for UCF College of Nursing’s Simulation Operations Management course and has presented at local and national conferences. In addition, she has personally published or collaborated on various topics relative to life perspectives, healthcare simulation, and education.
In her time away from her simulated family members, she embarks on thrilling horseback riding adventures and travel, seeking out new and exciting experiences.
