Staff Spotlight: Kathryn Adams
Kathryn Adams has been SSH’s Director of Continuing Education since 2009. She came to SSH from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where she was working as a CME Specialist for most of her career. Since joining SSH, she has been excited and honored to help grow and support the professional development programming being offered.
In her position, Kathryn is the primary staff liaison to the SSH Education and Research Committees, which work to integrate new and cutting-edge professional development initiatives into SSH’s educational offerings. The primary venue for these offerings, IMSH, has grown significantly, and now provides a comprehensive educational curriculum in simulation, several innovation showcases, and the largest scientific exhibition to date in healthcare simulation.
Kathryn also oversees the content development and delivery for several educational programs, including the SSH Symposium Series, SimOps and the Asia Pacific Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (APMSH). She is looking forward to the development of new, online learning delivery formats to complement the live offerings, and enjoys investigating new and better ways to reach adult learners.
In addition to content development and delivery, Kathryn serves as the administrator for SSH’s accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), and is working toward obtaining SSH approval as a provider for nursing continuing education, among other professional continuing education designations.
Kathryn obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1987 in Continuing and Vocational Education. Nearing completion of her Masters Degree in Career Development, she plans to work on her doctoral degree in adult continuing education. Her academic interests include the discovery of innovations in content development and delivery methods for adults. In addition, she intends to develop a comprehensive understanding of addiction science, exploring the role of addiction recovery and rehabilitation in adult learning, professional development, and team communication. She has a keen interest in exploring the use of simulation in mental health settings, and examining how simulation could potentially improve the effectiveness of addiction treatment.
Kathryn resides in Rochester, Minnesota on a small, rural acreage populated with various critters, both wild and domestic. Her two children, Ariel and Sam, are nearly out of the nest, and she looks forward to new adventures with them in “the second half” of her life. An avid fan of the road trip, she loves to travel and hear the stories of those she meets along the way. Kathryn enjoys her annual trek to IMSH transporting manikins and supplies, and enjoys visiting SSH member centers. She is looking forward to many new challenges and discoveries in simulation in the years ahead.