Investigator Profile: Robert M. Sweet, MD, FACS
Robert M. Sweet, MD, FACS
Professor of Urology, Surgery and Bioengineering (Adjunct)
Chief, Division of Healthcare Simulation Sciences
Executive Director of WISH and CREST
Simulation to Enhance Medical Training and Patient Education
CREST serves as the Research and Development arm of simulation science for UW Medicine and is devoted to advancing the current state of medical training and patient education. CREST consists of a talented team versed in Simulator Development, Material Science, Digital Animation, Mechanical Engineering, Traditional Art, and Medical Training, eagerly working alongside industry partners and hospital staff at all levels. The team has created VR surgical trainers, educational software, clinical apps, part-task trainers, simple tissue analogs and helps to conduct validation studies. CREST also works to make further improvements to the simulation field by acquiring tissue property data for its Human Tissue Property Database and using the data to inform the development of the simulation technologies. The WWAMI Institute for Simulation in Healthcare (WISH) trains thousands of local and international physicians, nurses and students throughout the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) region. These students are exposed to highly realistic computer-aided instruction, virtual environments and procedural simulation. In addition to providing simulation leadership and resources to students, researchers, industry providers and the community, WISH also helps enhance the learning process, improve clinical practice performance, bolster social interactions among professionals, and expedite discovery of the best, most efficient ways of training healthcare experts.
Residents have the opportunity to pursue research and development opportunities within WISH and/or CREST and even fulfill the requirements for our American College of Surgeons Accredited Simulation Fellowship. The goal of this fellowship is to provide a foundation to create international leaders in development, evaluation and delivery of medical education curricula enhanced by simulation technologies. Upon completion of the fellowship, the fellow will be facile in simulation education theory and practice and will have developed their own technical skills through an array of simulation activities.