The School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene (SONDH) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has appointed Lorrie C. Wong, associate professor of nursing and director of the UH Translational Health Science Simulation Center (THSSC), as the inaugural HMSA Distinguished Professor, effective January 1, 2021.
This endowed distinguished professorship was established in November 2020 by HMSA Foundation to provide the leadership, expertise and research to implement and advance interprofessional education (IPE) at UH.
Wong has been instrumental in the design and IPE strategy of health sciences education programs across UH and provides leadership for THSSC. Under her direction, THSSC was accredited by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare in 2014, and re-accredited in 2019, demonstrating the centerʻs commitment to offering health care simulation training programs and services that are measurable, accountable and of the highest quality.
Wong was in the first class of 16 advanced healthcare simulation educators certified internationally, and currently assists in developing criteria for certification. As an expert in simulation learning, she has presented at numerous local, national and international conferences on the topic of simulation learning methodology and curriculum integration, and provides consultation and workshops to nursing faculty from across the globe.
“Lorrie is an innovator and visionary leader in interprofessional education and technology supported learning,” said Mary G. Boland, SONDH dean and professor. “She fosters team based interprofessional practice across UH campuses, the major health organizations throughout the State of Hawaiʻi, and universities in Asia. With the recognition and sustained support from HMSA, interprofessional education and industry partnerships will contribute to improved health care delivery in Hawaiʻi.”
A UH Mānoa faculty member since 1989, Wong earned a PhD in nursing and an adult nurse practitioner post-master’s certificate from UH Mānoa, a master’s degree from Columbia University, and bachelor’s degree in nursing from UH Mānoa.