WASHA Committee 2025 Bio Notes
Alina Miranda
Alina is a Senior Lecturer at Curtin Medical school, Bentley campus Perth. She is the lead academic responsible for developing the curriculum and heavily teaches into the Anatomical Pathology combined Histo/Cyto major as part of the four-year BSc Laboratory Medicine undergraduate course, at Curtin University. Alina has worked as a medical scientist in cytopathology for more than 30 years in both private and public sectors. She is currently a committee member on the WA Local ASC committee and is an active committee member on the National ASC Board of examiners. Alina is the current Chair of the West Australian Simulation Healthcare Alliance (WASHA), and her research interests include development of EBUS/ROSE simulation for 4th year Lab Med students and digitising histo/cyto cases via a custom built virtual microscopy platform, compatible with Curtin University’s learning management system (LMS). She is currently working with a great team of experts on a larger digital project, called ‘Human VR Dissection (ProSection XR)’, which aims to develop an advanced virtual reality (VR) human dissection simulation that provides an immersive and interactive learning experience for all healthcare professionals. She was a recipient of a Curtin Medical School Teaching Excellence award in 2023, and a recipient of a 2024 Curtin Medical School award for Contribution to Engagement. In October 2024, she was part of a project team, awarded a Faculty of Health ISOLT Research Impact Award for the digital works on 3D photogrammetry, to produce photorealistic digital replicas of anatomical specimens, used widely on campus and at our international global campuses as part of the larger first year cohort teaching into interprofessional anatomy units.
Janet Vince
Janet is a Nurse Educator at Sir Charles Gairdner Osborne Park Health Care Group. Currently involved in organisational Simulation training bring our junior medical and nursing staff together to enable the development of knowledge, skill and confidence within a team. Janet has a Masters in Health Professions Education
And a Graduate Diploma Community, Health and Welfare Studies – Critical Care ICU stream. Currently is a Lead in the planning, development and implementation of a Simulation Based Education and Training Program for Armadale Kalamunda Group. She has a passion in education for safety – empowering and enabling the nursing workforce to develop skills in a safe environment, develop confidence to transition those skills to practice and to have the confidence to speak up for safety as an advocate for their patients.
Brennen Mills
Dr Brennen Mills is a Senior Lecturer who leads the Simulation & Immersive Digital Technology Group (SIDTG) at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Western Australia. Dr Mills’ background is in the development and evaluation of innovative technologies and high-fidelity simulation-based learning environments for education and training, with a focus on resilience building and enhancing preparedness in pressurised settings. This includes development and evaluation of novel pathways for digital, augmented and virtual reality technology. Dr Mills is also Founder and CEO of Alpha Immersion Pty Ltd, a tech-based start-up with a mission to safeguard frontline healthcare professionals against workplace aggression and violence by revolutionising training methodologies through immersive virtual technologies.
Alina is a Senior Lecturer at Curtin Medical school, Bentley campus Perth. She is the lead academic responsible for developing the curriculum and heavily teaches into the Anatomical Pathology combined Histo/Cyto major as part of the four-year BSc Laboratory Medicine undergraduate course, at Curtin University. Alina has worked as a medical scientist in cytopathology for more than 30 years in both private and public sectors. She is currently a committee member on the WA Local ASC committee and is an active committee member on the National ASC Board of examiners. Alina is the current Chair of the West Australian Simulation Healthcare Alliance (WASHA), and her research interests include development of EBUS/ROSE simulation for 4th year Lab Med students and digitising histo/cyto cases via a custom built virtual microscopy platform, compatible with Curtin University’s learning management system (LMS). She is currently working with a great team of experts on a larger digital project, called ‘Human VR Dissection (ProSection XR)’, which aims to develop an advanced virtual reality (VR) human dissection simulation that provides an immersive and interactive learning experience for all healthcare professionals. She was a recipient of a Curtin Medical School Teaching Excellence award in 2023, and a recipient of a 2024 Curtin Medical School award for Contribution to Engagement. In October 2024, she was part of a project team, awarded a Faculty of Health ISOLT Research Impact Award for the digital works on 3D photogrammetry, to produce photorealistic digital replicas of anatomical specimens, used widely on campus and at our international global campuses as part of the larger first year cohort teaching into interprofessional anatomy units.
Janet Vince
Janet is a Nurse Educator at Sir Charles Gairdner Osborne Park Health Care Group. Currently involved in organisational Simulation training bring our junior medical and nursing staff together to enable the development of knowledge, skill and confidence within a team. Janet has a Masters in Health Professions Education
And a Graduate Diploma Community, Health and Welfare Studies – Critical Care ICU stream. Currently is a Lead in the planning, development and implementation of a Simulation Based Education and Training Program for Armadale Kalamunda Group. She has a passion in education for safety – empowering and enabling the nursing workforce to develop skills in a safe environment, develop confidence to transition those skills to practice and to have the confidence to speak up for safety as an advocate for their patients.
Brennen Mills
Dr Brennen Mills is a Senior Lecturer who leads the Simulation & Immersive Digital Technology Group (SIDTG) at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Western Australia. Dr Mills’ background is in the development and evaluation of innovative technologies and high-fidelity simulation-based learning environments for education and training, with a focus on resilience building and enhancing preparedness in pressurised settings. This includes development and evaluation of novel pathways for digital, augmented and virtual reality technology. Dr Mills is also Founder and CEO of Alpha Immersion Pty Ltd, a tech-based start-up with a mission to safeguard frontline healthcare professionals against workplace aggression and violence by revolutionising training methodologies through immersive virtual technologies.
Hannah Midani
Hannah Midani is a Clinical Nurse Specialist and simulation educator with 16 years’ experience working in mental health across inpatient and community settings. Her experience in delivering the Royal Perth Bentley Group Mental Health Emergency Response Program sparked her passion for simulation, and since then she has been active in promoting the value of simulation to her specialty and advocating for the inclusion of mental health clinicians in simulation programs. Hannah is a faculty member of the SimStart program delivered at Perth Children’s Hospital and Fiona Stanley Hospital and has been a WASHA Executive Committee member since 2023.
Brid Phillips
Dr Bríd Phillips has many years’ experience working collaboratively in simulation, both in her clinical role as a Senior Nurse in Emergency departments and as a health professions educator across medicine and nursing. In her current role as Course Director for the new Honours Nursing course at UWA, she is a champion for both simulation and interdisciplinary learning. Alongside her clinical and teaching experience, her research in the humanities has given her a critical lens with which to approach to role play in simulation, emotional dynamics and collaborative practice. While she has a doctorate in Shakespearean Studies and The History of Emotions, she is also completing a Masters in Clinical Simulation. https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/persons/00072426 https://sites.google.com/view/theheartofthematter/about-us
Katie Janz
Katie Janz is an academic nurse at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Notre Dame, Australia, bringing nearly two decades of diverse clinical experience in emergency nursing. Her career spans across remote, rural, interstate and international settings, encompassing roles such as Nurse Unit Manager, Clinical Nurse Specialist and Nurse Manager. Currently, she works as a Course Coordinator and Lecturer for a clinical skills-based course in the undergraduate program for nursing, whilst maintaining a casual position in a local emergency department. Katie is deeply invested in simulation-based education, actively contributing to clinical skills and trauma-based education. She is currently studying for her PhD on Virtual Reality (VR) simulation, focusing on non-technical skills in undergraduate nursing students, with the hope of determining positive outcomes for teaching these soft skills using VR technology. Her dedication to advancing nursing education through innovative technologies underscores her commitment to fostering competent and compassionate healthcare professionals.
Jane West
Jane is an experienced Educator in the public health sector. Having worked for many decades clinically in Surgical, High Dependency and post anaesthetic care units in Australia and the UK she moved into the education space. She developed an interest in simulation based education over the last decade recognising it as a powerful tool to assist in educating multi disciplinary health care providers to be able to provide safer practice in patient care. Currently working as a Staff Development Educator for Simulation, Deterioration and Resuscitation Providing Simulation Based Education for all levels of staff both in the simulation centre and across the health campus taking the simulations to the clinical areas. The advent of COVID highlighted the relevance of simulation when we were able to rapidly respond and used it to educate staff and test processes throughout the hospital to be able provide a safe environment for all patients staff and visitors attending the site.
Hannah Midani is a Clinical Nurse Specialist and simulation educator with 16 years’ experience working in mental health across inpatient and community settings. Her experience in delivering the Royal Perth Bentley Group Mental Health Emergency Response Program sparked her passion for simulation, and since then she has been active in promoting the value of simulation to her specialty and advocating for the inclusion of mental health clinicians in simulation programs. Hannah is a faculty member of the SimStart program delivered at Perth Children’s Hospital and Fiona Stanley Hospital and has been a WASHA Executive Committee member since 2023.
Brid Phillips
Dr Bríd Phillips has many years’ experience working collaboratively in simulation, both in her clinical role as a Senior Nurse in Emergency departments and as a health professions educator across medicine and nursing. In her current role as Course Director for the new Honours Nursing course at UWA, she is a champion for both simulation and interdisciplinary learning. Alongside her clinical and teaching experience, her research in the humanities has given her a critical lens with which to approach to role play in simulation, emotional dynamics and collaborative practice. While she has a doctorate in Shakespearean Studies and The History of Emotions, she is also completing a Masters in Clinical Simulation. https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/persons/00072426 https://sites.google.com/view/theheartofthematter/about-us
Katie Janz
Katie Janz is an academic nurse at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Notre Dame, Australia, bringing nearly two decades of diverse clinical experience in emergency nursing. Her career spans across remote, rural, interstate and international settings, encompassing roles such as Nurse Unit Manager, Clinical Nurse Specialist and Nurse Manager. Currently, she works as a Course Coordinator and Lecturer for a clinical skills-based course in the undergraduate program for nursing, whilst maintaining a casual position in a local emergency department. Katie is deeply invested in simulation-based education, actively contributing to clinical skills and trauma-based education. She is currently studying for her PhD on Virtual Reality (VR) simulation, focusing on non-technical skills in undergraduate nursing students, with the hope of determining positive outcomes for teaching these soft skills using VR technology. Her dedication to advancing nursing education through innovative technologies underscores her commitment to fostering competent and compassionate healthcare professionals.
Jane West
Jane is an experienced Educator in the public health sector. Having worked for many decades clinically in Surgical, High Dependency and post anaesthetic care units in Australia and the UK she moved into the education space. She developed an interest in simulation based education over the last decade recognising it as a powerful tool to assist in educating multi disciplinary health care providers to be able to provide safer practice in patient care. Currently working as a Staff Development Educator for Simulation, Deterioration and Resuscitation Providing Simulation Based Education for all levels of staff both in the simulation centre and across the health campus taking the simulations to the clinical areas. The advent of COVID highlighted the relevance of simulation when we were able to rapidly respond and used it to educate staff and test processes throughout the hospital to be able provide a safe environment for all patients staff and visitors attending the site.
Holly Denton
Holly is an experienced nurse academic with a strong background in simulation-based education, wound care, and community nursing. Originally trained in the UK, she has over two decades of clinical and academic experience across both the UK and Australia. In her current role as Academic Lead for Simulation at Murdoch University, she works collaboratively to embed innovative, technology-enhanced simulations, including high-fidelity and avatar-based learning, throughout the Bachelor of Nursing program. Holly is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, holds a Master of Research, and is currently completing a PhD focused on assessing wound care competence in undergraduate nursing students.
Kirsty Freeman
Associate Professor Kirsty Freeman is the Academic Coordinator of the Rural Clinical School of Western Australia. With over 20 years of experience in healthcare education, she is a globally recognised leader who has shaped simulation-based education across local, national, and international communities.
Kirsty's interprofessional expertise spans medicine, nursing, allied health, and paramedicine, where she has designed and delivered transformative simulation programs for both students and experienced professionals. Her innovative approach to simulation education has influenced practice across rural and metropolitan healthcare settings, with particular expertise in developing accessible simulation solutions for geographically dispersed learners.
As an active leader in the simulation community, Kirsty is a Fellow of the Academy of the Society of Simulation in Healthcare, serves on international boards including SESAM (Society in Europe for Simulation in Europe) and is excited to be part of the leadership group WASHA (WA Simulation in Healthcare Alliance). She regularly contributes her expertise to national and international simulation conferences as both presenter and program committee member. In her editorial role as Associate Editor for the Journal of Healthcare Simulation (JoHS), Kirsty champions the advancement of simulation education scholarship. Her commitment to mentoring the next generation of simulation educators is evident through her supervision of numerous graduate students and her dedication to fostering collaborative networks that strengthen simulation practice across healthcare disciplines. Kirsty's leadership extends beyond traditional boundaries, bridging rural-urban divides and creating sustainable pathways for simulation education that serve diverse healthcare communities both locally and globally.
Darren Bailey
Darren Bailey, a Lecturer and A/Deputy Undergraduate Program Coordinator at the University of Notre Dame, Fremantle, brings over 30 years of nursing experience across clinical and educational roles. After a decade in the UK NHS and global travel, he settled in WA, serving as CNC Resuscitation at Fremantle Hospital and later as a foundation educator and after hours CNM at Fiona Stanley Hospital. Darren transitioned into full time academia following sessional teaching, is a legacy member of the Australian Resuscitation Council WA and has been known to teach basic life support to anyone that will listen.
Richard Riley
Richard was an anaesthetist at Royal Perth Hospital, having trained in Perth and Pittsburgh. Currently he is Clin. Prof. and was Clinical Debriefing Manager for 3rd and 4th year PPD at UNDA and is Asssoc. Prof. of Anaesthesia at UWA. He was Editor of “Manual of Simulation in Healthcare” and “Australasian Anaesthesia” and was the State Director of Simulation. His interests include patient safety and staff welfare, simulation in healthcare and difficult airway management.
Holly is an experienced nurse academic with a strong background in simulation-based education, wound care, and community nursing. Originally trained in the UK, she has over two decades of clinical and academic experience across both the UK and Australia. In her current role as Academic Lead for Simulation at Murdoch University, she works collaboratively to embed innovative, technology-enhanced simulations, including high-fidelity and avatar-based learning, throughout the Bachelor of Nursing program. Holly is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, holds a Master of Research, and is currently completing a PhD focused on assessing wound care competence in undergraduate nursing students.
Kirsty Freeman
Associate Professor Kirsty Freeman is the Academic Coordinator of the Rural Clinical School of Western Australia. With over 20 years of experience in healthcare education, she is a globally recognised leader who has shaped simulation-based education across local, national, and international communities.
Kirsty's interprofessional expertise spans medicine, nursing, allied health, and paramedicine, where she has designed and delivered transformative simulation programs for both students and experienced professionals. Her innovative approach to simulation education has influenced practice across rural and metropolitan healthcare settings, with particular expertise in developing accessible simulation solutions for geographically dispersed learners.
As an active leader in the simulation community, Kirsty is a Fellow of the Academy of the Society of Simulation in Healthcare, serves on international boards including SESAM (Society in Europe for Simulation in Europe) and is excited to be part of the leadership group WASHA (WA Simulation in Healthcare Alliance). She regularly contributes her expertise to national and international simulation conferences as both presenter and program committee member. In her editorial role as Associate Editor for the Journal of Healthcare Simulation (JoHS), Kirsty champions the advancement of simulation education scholarship. Her commitment to mentoring the next generation of simulation educators is evident through her supervision of numerous graduate students and her dedication to fostering collaborative networks that strengthen simulation practice across healthcare disciplines. Kirsty's leadership extends beyond traditional boundaries, bridging rural-urban divides and creating sustainable pathways for simulation education that serve diverse healthcare communities both locally and globally.
Darren Bailey
Darren Bailey, a Lecturer and A/Deputy Undergraduate Program Coordinator at the University of Notre Dame, Fremantle, brings over 30 years of nursing experience across clinical and educational roles. After a decade in the UK NHS and global travel, he settled in WA, serving as CNC Resuscitation at Fremantle Hospital and later as a foundation educator and after hours CNM at Fiona Stanley Hospital. Darren transitioned into full time academia following sessional teaching, is a legacy member of the Australian Resuscitation Council WA and has been known to teach basic life support to anyone that will listen.
Richard Riley
Richard was an anaesthetist at Royal Perth Hospital, having trained in Perth and Pittsburgh. Currently he is Clin. Prof. and was Clinical Debriefing Manager for 3rd and 4th year PPD at UNDA and is Asssoc. Prof. of Anaesthesia at UWA. He was Editor of “Manual of Simulation in Healthcare” and “Australasian Anaesthesia” and was the State Director of Simulation. His interests include patient safety and staff welfare, simulation in healthcare and difficult airway management.