Advisory Committee

Steve Vance, MD, FACEP

Dr. Vance assumed the role of Director of Medical Simulation at Synergy Medical Education Alliance in November 2007. A Michigan native, he graduated with a BS in Physics from Alma College in 1997 and received his MD degree from the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine in 2001. In 2004, he completed a residency in Emergency Medicine at Spectrum Health Butterworth in Grand Rapids. Dr. Vance then joined the Covenant Healthcare Emergency Physicians Group and shortly thereafter became core faculty with the Emergency Medicine residency program. His primary focus was on ultrasound education and EM critical care, especially in the area of ultrasound-guided procedures. He has presented on this topic regionally, and remains committed to further advancement of the use of ultrasound in the ED. He is board certified in Emergency Medicine, and continues to maintain an active clinical practice.

Under Dr. Vance's leadership, SYNAPSE (Synergy Medical Advanced Practicum and Simulation Environment) was constructed in March 2008. Since that time, the center has continued to expand its learner base and educational opportunities, conducting more than 6000 learner hours of training this year. He was recently elected as secretary of the Emergency Medicine subsection of the Society for Simulation in Medicine, and is actively conducting research on procedural skills decay. His vision for the SYNAPSE is to continue to provide regional leadership and excellence in the area of simulation, medical team training, and patient safety.

Anthony Battaglia, MS, BSN, RN,

Mr. Battaglia holds a BSN from LaRoche College, a Masters of Science in Training and Development from Carlow University and a Fellow, Entrepreneurial Business, Katz Graduate School of Business from the University of Pittsburgh. He is President and CEO of Pocket Nurse®, a nurse owned and operated company started in 1992. Pocket Nurse® sells medical supplies and equipment to Healthcare Educators throughout the United States & Canada. Twenty years experience as a nurse in a variety of healthcare settings, including Medical Intensive Care, Industrial and Occupational Nursing and Medical Surgical Nursing.

Mr. Battaglia is a community member of Sigma Theta Tau, National Nurses in Business, International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) and National Nurses in Business Association.

Keith Samuels, PhD

Dr. Samuels played a major role in establishing the Mary Ekdahl Smart Center for Patient Simulation Training & Research, and has served as Executive Director since its opening in 2004 at Pensacola Junior College. The Center is a Laerdal Center of Educational Excellence. He has demonstrated academic administrative expertise at community and technical colleges. Beginning as the division chairman for Allied Health at Trident Technical College to develop joint programs with the Medical University of South Carolina, he then became Director of Allied Health at Broward Community College. He has also served as a dean of instruction, associate vice president for instruction, and vice president for instruction. In addition to serving as Executive Director of the Simulation Center, Dr. Samuels is Director of Clinical Support Services at PJC.

Throughout his career Dr. Samuels has maintained an interest in the use of technology in education. He served on the board of the International Audio-Tutorial Congress, one of the early organizations to promote the use of technology in science and allied health curricula. In the mid 1990s, he directed an alternative institutional SACS reaffirmation self-study focused on instructional technology.

In addition to using technology to enhance teaching and learning, Dr. Samuels has taken the lead in the development of a web-based Instructional Decision Support System, a series of SQL Server applications related to the management of instructional activities.