Vall d’Hebron and Cleveland Clinic have reached an agreement to strengthen educational collaboration in the field of medical simulation.This will enable the Vall d’Hebron Advanced Clinical Simulation Centre to work with Cleveland Clinic to implement specialized simulation-focused educator development programs, share resources to enhance knowledge transfer, and collaborate on research and innovation projects in healthcare education.

Dr. Mónica Rodríguez, Director of Teaching at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital and the Vall d’Hebron Advanced Clinical Simulation Centre, highlighted the importance of the agreement: “This collaboration not only reinforces our commitment to top-notch training, but also allows us to share and enrich our knowledge with another world-leading institution. We are confident that this alliance will have a positive impact on our goal of contributing to safer and higher quality healthcare through education."

Dr. Eduardo Mireles-Cabodevila, Medical Director of Cleveland Clinic’s Simulation & Advanced Skills Center, underlined the innovative nature of this collaboration for the US institution: “This is the first time we’ve formed an alliance of this kind, driven by the identification of common areas for collaboration, such as professional development and the use of virtual reality. We also see opportunities to develop new lines of research. Our two centers have very similar missions, which has led to a unique and effective synergy.”

Joint instructor training

In order to enhance the skills of simulation educators, the agreement includes the creation of joint instructor training courses, which will be delivered both online and face-to-face at each center’s facilities. Instructors trained through these courses will be able to teach healthcare professionals and students at both institutions, promoting knowledge transfer and collaborative learning. 

One of the first initiatives of this collaboration is the Standard Education for Ventilatory Assistance (SEVA) course developed by Cleveland Clinic. This course, which is being offered for the first time in Europe, provides comprehensive training in ventilatory assistance, ensuring that healthcare professionals have the knowledge and skills to provide optimal care in critical situations. Vall d’Hebron, in turn, will contribute its innovative SIMOONS platform, a virtual clinical simulation tool that enables multidisciplinary teams to train remotely in managing patients across various clinical scenarios.

Additionally, the agreement provides for reciprocal visits by healthcare professionals to both centers, which is expected to enhance the educational experience and promote innovation in clinical practice.

Research and innovation in clinical education

Under this agreement, established through the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital and the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), the two parties will also identify educational needs, design clinical simulation activities and develop research projects, including both observational and experimental studies in education and the resulting scientific output. Another key aspect of the agreement is the creation of an Educational Simulation Oversight Council, in which each institution will appoint two members from its teaching team to manage and oversee the collaborative efforts. This structure will ensure smooth coordination of joint activities and guarantee that objectives are met.

Increasing international visibility and collaboration

To increase the visibility and impact of this collaboration, both parties have committed to participate in major healthcare events, such as the Vall d’Hebron Simulation Week, where results and experiences will be shared to promote knowledge exchange between institutions worldwide. Dr. Jordi Bañeras, Coordinator of the Vall d’Hebron Advanced Clinical Simulation Center, said: “With this agreement, Vall d’Hebron strengthens its position as a leading institution in healthcare training, reinforcing its international standing and ensuring that its educational activities remain at the forefront of the most advanced practices in clinical simulation.”