Staff

Tara J. Lemoine, D.O., FAAP is dual board certified in General Pediatrics and Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. She earned her Doctorate in Osteopathic Medicine from the University of North Texas Health Science Center. In 2018, she completed an additional fellowship in Simulation Medicine through the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada and KidSIM.

Prior to joining the Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Simulation, she served as the Medical Director of Interprofessional Simulation at Valley Children’s Hospital in Central California where she helped build one of the first fully accredited simulation programs between San Francisco and Los Angeles. During her 10 years in California, she cared for trauma, medical and surgical patients as an attending physician in a tertiary levelPediatric Intensive Care Unit. Additionally, she held clinical faculty appointments with the University of San Francisco and Stanford Universityand also served as a faculty member within the Graduate Medical Education department at Valley Children’s Hospital. External to the Intensive Care Unit, Taraheld the position of Medical Director for Respiratory Care where she servedin a leadership role for the respiratory care team and department.

For the past two years prior to joining UTHSC, Tara held the position of Vice Chair of the Central Valley Simulation Alliance in Central California. Her experience in simulation medicine spans more than 15 years, and she has been a long-standing member of the Society for Simulation in Health Care, International Pediatric Simulation Society, and the California Simulation Alliance as well.

Tara’s simulation-based research and projects have been presented internationally through the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare IPSS as well as the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization. She most recently completed a grant project focused on Diversity Equity and Inclusivity using simulation through the California Simulation Alliance that was presented internationally as well.Her most recent efforts include co-authoring two chapters for a Simulation in Nursing textbookand contributing to a publication onECLS simulation.

Her primary simulation interest centers around Interprofessional Simulation across healthcare disciplines and patient safety focused communication.

Teresa Britt, MSN, RN, CHSE-A is the Director of Education for the Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Simulation at UTHSC. Britt has been a nurse since 1977, in nursing education since 1982, and specifically in clinical simulation development since 1998. Her previous roles at UTHSC were as the Director for Interprofessional Education and Clinical Simulation Program and the Director of the College of Nursing Simulation Lab. She obtained the Certification in Healthcare Education (CHSE) in 2016 and gained CHSE-Advanced status in 2021, a recognition reached currently by less than one hundred individuals world-wide. She was one of the founding members of the Tennessee Simulation Alliance, and is currently serving as a board member for this organization. Teresa was selected by the National League of Nursing as a Simulation Leader in 2016, an honor which has provided her with opportunities to collaborate on simulation-based educational initiatives with simulation leaders from across the nation. She has extensive knowledge of current methodologies and best practices for utilization of Simulated Patients in healthcare education and is a member of the Association of Standardized Patient Educators. She has led two interprofessional teams to the Interprofessional Education Collaborative and co-authored a chapter on simulation-enhanced interprofessional education in the text Mastering Simulation. She has been involved for many years with both the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) and the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, where she is part of several committees and special interest groups, has served as a simulation mentor, and is currently an accreditation site reviewer. As the Director of Education, Ms. Britt provides oversight and input into all of the educational activities in CHIPS, as well as leads the simulation onboarding and faculty development process for the UTHSC campus. Mrs. Britt's interests are in simulation professional development, prebriefing, simulation-enhanced interprofessional education, and best practices in simulation educational design. She recently co-authored a chapter on Simulation Case Design in the textbook, Defining Excellence in Simulation Programs and was one of the co-authors for the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice- Simulation Professional Development. Ms. Britt’s latest research has been in the development of a Simulation Educator Needs Assessment Tool ( SENAT), an assessment tool that has been validated by simulation experts around the globe for the onboarding and professional development of simulation educators.

Jarrod Young, MBA, BSE, CHSOS-A, FSSH is the Director of Operations/Technology and Business Development. Mr. Young oversees the operations of all healthcare simulation activities and technology for the 45,000 square foot facility that collaborates with 6 colleges on University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) campus as well as external partners in the community. Mr. Young joined The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) in 2016 as the Simulation Operations Lead for the Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Simulation (CHIPS). Mr. Young received his Bachelor’s in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in 2012 and his Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee-Martin in 2020. He also holds a Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Quality and Safety from UAB, a certification as a Certified Healthcare Simulation Operations Specialist- Advanced (CHSOS-A), as well as the Technical Apprenticeship in Healthcare Simulation offered by the Center for Medical Simulation in Charlestown, Massachusetts.

At CHIPS, Mr. Young oversees the operations of all healthcare simulation activities for the 45,000 square foot facility. With a strong focus on process management, operational efficiency, and quality improvement methodologies, Mr. Young organizes the day-to-day operations of CHIPS and provides guidance to the Simulation Specialists and Simulation Technologist that make up the operations team.

Prior to his time at CHIPS, Jarrod served as a Clinical Simulation Specialist at UAB’s Office of Interprofessional Simulation (OIPS). During his time with OIPS, Jarrod was project lead on multiple OIPS strategic priorities, including product design projects with the School of Engineering, and was responsible for training and supervising simulation specialists, simulation technicians, and work study students in OIPS. Before entering the field of healthcare simulation, Jarrod worked as a rehabilitation engineer where he specialized in rehabilitation assistive technologies, including ergonomic considerations, product design, and product modifications.

In addition to his responsibilities at CHIPS, Mr. Young volunteers in many different roles and committees within the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH). He is currently a volunteer Accreditation Site Reviewer for SSH and an active member of the Simulation Operations and Technology Section (SOTS). Mr. Young served as a Planning Team Member for the SimOps 2021 conference in Tampa, FL.

Kuan Xing, PhD, MEd, is the Director of Assessment and Research for the Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Simulation and Assistant Professor in Interprofessional Education at UTHSC. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and a master’s degree in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, & Assessment from the University of Illinois at Chicago. His expertise in simulation for healthcare includes assessment in simulation-based practice, reliability/validity analysis (e.g., measurement tool validation), and rater models; he also conducts educational/psychometric research predominantly using quantitative methodology. He published research papers with colleagues in both healthcare and education measurement fields, such as Simulation in Healthcare, Academic Medicine, Applied Psychological Measurement, Multivariate Behavioral Research among others.

Jamie Pitt received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Lindenwood University and a Masters in Medical & Health Professions Education from Eastern Virginia Medical School. Ms. Pitt is an award-winning professional actor with national tours for Missoula Children’s Theatre and Metro Theatre Company. She is a founding cast member of Paper Slip Theatre Company specializing in educational improvisational performances and classes. Before joining the UTHSC team in 2018, she spent over 10 years at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO as the Standardized Patient Program Manager. Her research focuses on identifying the key behaviors that drive team performance as well as patient and team satisfaction across different health disciplines to provide individualized coaching that improves the performance of healthcare teams. She is a co-author of the chapter on The Human Simulation Continuum Model, found in the book “Comprehensive Healthcare Simulation, Implementing Best Practices in Standardized Patient Methodology”.

In her role as Assistant Director of Education for Standardized and Simulated Patients (SPs), she oversees all aspects of the SP program and educational activities involving the human simulation methodology at CHIPS.

Tim Dotson’s first involvement in simulation-based training at UTHSC was as a standardized patient in the Kaplan Clinical Skills Center in 2014. Mr. Dotson joined the CHIPS team in May 2019 as a Standardized/Simulated Patient (SP) Trainer. A native Memphian and playwright, he brings years of theater, mentoring and teaching experience to the role of SP Trainer. In September 2020, he co-founded the Health Justice Collective on UTHSC campus composed of staff, faculty, and students to start dialogue and create action steps to reduce gaps in access, resources, and knowledge of healthcare. In May 2022, in collaboration with his CHIPS team, Dotson was the recipient of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Mini-Grant from the office of Inclusion, Equity and Diversity. Tim has a Bachelor of Arts in English from Tennessee State University. Mr. Dotson looks forward to serving CHIPS clients, taking advantage of his creativity, and broadening his knowledge in the world of healthcare simulation.

Amy Rush brings years of experience in theater and improvisational comedy performance, workshop leading, university teaching and simulation work to her role as a Standardized/Simulated Patient Trainer at UTHSC. She has a B.S. in journalism from The University of Kansas, an M.A. in dramatic arts from University of Connecticut and completed graduate-level work at Portfolio Center, where she studied graphic design. She has performed regularly at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, in many venues while living in New York and she participated in English language theater and improv comedy when she recently lived in Prague, Czech Republic. Amy was a standardized patient at Emory University and has worked many years as a forensic actor in child abuse forensic interviewing protocol training sessions. She started working on the CHIPS team in the fall of 2020.

Mr. Nick Brauer, BS, CHSOS, graduated with a biology degree from the University of Memphis and has been with the UTHSC since 2000 serving as a Senior Research Coordinator and Simulation Coordinator for Graduate Medical Education before joining the simulation team in 2011.  Mr. Brauer has also served as an Emergency Services Officer for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office since 1999, where he supervises teams on emergency medical and trauma calls throughout the county.

Mr. Brauer will assists in the coordination of operations in the emerging comprehensive simulation program at the UTHSC, serving the needs of all its professional programs. He works with faculty and staff across UTHSC, particularly on the Memphis campus, in securing and facilitating the use of a wide range of simulation technologies to enrich the training of students, residents, and healthcare professionals.

James Orr, NRP, FP-C recently returned to UTHSC and joined the Simulation Center as a Simulation Specialist. He brings 33 years of prehospital EMS and aeromedical experience to the program. His background in EMS coupled with previous simulation experience provides valuable insight into the application of scenario based simulations.

Previously employed with UTHSC in the prior UT Bowld Hospital ER contributed to 18 years of prior ER experience. James recently retired from the Memphis Fire Dept. after 25 years of service to the citizens of Memphis, TN. His experience also includes 8 years in prehospital aeromedical service as a flight paramedic. The experience gained during his career is incorporated and accentuates the application of scenario based simulations in our program.

Harold Weaver, BSET, MSTE, joined the CHIPS team in August 2019. He came to CHIPS after an extensive career in the academic realm beginning at the University of Memphis in 1989 and continuing throughout the next three decades at various non-profit and for profit colleges with a few stints in corporate training along the way. He holds a BS in Engineering Technology and an MS in Technical Education from the University of Memphis. In his free time he volunteers his technical support and media skills in the Memphis theater community and his local church. His wife and daughter are SPs at CHIPS.

Sophia Mosher, MPA, is the Simulation Educationalist for the Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Simulation. She first joined the CHIPS team in November 2019 as the Simulation Logistician where she was responsible for the project management of all events occurring in CHIPS. Previously, she worked in the Office of Equity and Diversity, coordinating the office’s strategic programs. Earlier in her career, she worked as an English, Theater, and Speech teacher in Arkansas.

As Simulation Educationalist, Sophia collaborates with faculty facilitators to develop and implement excellent simulation scenarios, overseeing both manikin and procedural simulation in CHIPS. Sophia’s background in project management and education informs her approach to supporting faculty through the full life cycle of their simulation-based educationalevents. She is active in the Society for Simulation in Healthcare and the Association for SP Educators.

Sophia is originally from northern Michigan and is an alumna of Michigan State University’s James Madison College, where she received a BA in Comparative Cultures and Politics. She earned her Master of Public Administration and Graduate Certificate in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Memphis in 2017.

Katelyn Porcaro started with CHIPS in September of 2020. Having spent her whole life in Memphis, she graduated from Christian Brothers University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Her education centered around both qualitative and quantitative statistics and the implementation of data in research. Katelyn served as the Psychology Laboratory Manager during her studies, where she supervised correlational and experimental research being conducted in the lab. She also had the opportunity to partner with faculty on various research experiments, which allowed her to gain knowledge of psychophysiological measures such as fEMG and EEG through hands-on experience.

Since graduation, Katelyn has spent the past five years climbing the corporate ladder in retail management at H&M. She had worked her way from entry level to store manager during her time with H&M, gaining extensive people management and organizational skills along the way. Her education and experience with laboratory technologies and procedures, along with her thorough background in customer service, both serve as essential tools to be used in her role as Simulation Specialist.

William Tolbert joined the CHIPS team in August 2022 as a Simulation Technologist.  William comes from North Carolina where he graduated from North Carolina A&T State University with a Bachelor of Science in Electronic and Computer Information Technology.  Since then, William has worked in machine maintenance and technology in several different fields including industrial automated maintenance technology and telecommunications technology.  His education, diverse experiences in machine maintenance, technology, and customer service, all enable William to bring an innovative perspective to his role as a Simulation Technologist.

Carmen Kelley, JD, MS Ed, currently serves as Simulation Logistician for the Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Simulation (“CHIPS”) at UTHSC. She earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Memphis and both Bachelor and Master of Science in Education degrees from Baylor University. Carmen first began working with CHIPS in February 2019, where she acted as a Standardized Patient, Teaching Assistant and Proctor for a variety of simulated events working alongside faculty and learners from the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy.

After a short stint as a certified recreation therapist in psychiatric hospital settings, Carmen began her career in earnest as an attorney in Washington, DC, where she joined a small litigation boutique practicing complex civil and employment litigation as well as both white collar criminal and professional liability investigation and defense. She went on to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia prosecuting cases and arguing appeals in both local and federal courts while working primarily with the appellate, domestic violence, general felonies and community prosecution divisions. After returning to private practice, Carmen served as her firm's Associate Development Partner responsible for conducting training and coordinating workloads for young attorneys in her firm's four offices across the nation. In that role, she planned and implemented skills and simulated training events for attorneys to learn and practice interviewing, deposition, and trial skills. She also gained experience teaching and coaching professionals in simulated litigation and trial scenarios with the National Institute of Trial Advocacy as well as for courses at the university level.

Ultimately, Carmen returned to her hometown of Memphis, choosing to leave the practice of law to give back to her community. In doing so, she completed an accelerated teacher certification program with the Memphis Teaching Fellows and taught Science, English, Reading and Creative Writing with the Memphis/Shelby County Schools. Since that time, she has continued serving as an educator in a wide array of settings, including but not limited to both her prior and current roles at CHIPS.

In her role as Simulation Logistician, Carmen assists with the management of CHIPS educational events across their lifecycles. She works collaboratively to plan, implement, and assess simulated experiences. She also works with the CHIPS team to gather and analyze post-event data in order to develop the means to ensure improved outcomes for future simulations. She also helps oversee CHIPS web and social media presence.

Xavier L. Agee, MS joined the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s Simulation Program in the summer of 2018, as a Simulation Specialist. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology from the University of Southern Mississippi in May of 2012. He also received his Master of Science degree in Instructional Technology from the University of Southern Mississippi in December of 2017. Xavier has the honor of becoming the first person in the state of Mississippi to obtain the Certified Healthcare Simulation Operations Specialist certification.

After a stint, in Information Technology Services, as a Distance Learning Coordinator, Mr. Agee rejoined CHIPS in October of 2022 as a Simulation Logistician. He looks forward to using his analytical and customer service skills to help provide quality simulation experiencesin his new role.

Mr. Agee comes to the UTHSC from the University of Southern Mississippi College of Nursing where he held the position of Simulation and Instructional Technology Specialist for nearly six years. During his time at USM’s College of Nursing he was influential in the new nursingbuilding’s construction in the area of A/V design in classrooms and simulation areas.

Jean Perdicaris has been with UTHSC since fall 2016 and started her position as CHIPS administrator fall 2022.  Her responsibilities include providing advanced level administrative direction, ensuring that program efforts are cohesive and effective as well as preparing regular financial reports to confirm internal and external stakeholders are well informed. Jean graduated with a bachelor's degree in music education. She completed a certification in Strategic Leadership December 2021 and will complete a master’s degree in Professional Studies with a focus on Strategic Leadership May 2023. She is also CAP – OM certified (certified administrative professional with concentration on organizational management). Jean has spent years as a music professional, still directing multiple youth and adult choirs as well as performing in various vocal ensembles in the greater Memphis area. She is also board president of a local non-profit choral organization based in northern MS and counts all the above as her life’s calling. Jean grew up in Europe, Oklahoma, and Texas and is delighted to now call northern Mississippi home.