SimKIDS Simulation Symposium
Join simulation professionals and enthusiast from across healthcare for this one-of-a-kind, dynamic, full‑day learning experience at the Annual SimKIDS Simulation Symposium hosted at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) happening September 22, 2026. Designed for diverse healthcare simulation interprofessional colleagues at all stages of their careers, this hybrid symposium brings together educators, clinicians, allied health professionals, system leaders, and innovators to explore how simulation can help healthcare systems flourish.
Register for the SimKIDS Simulation Symposium
THRIVE: Healthcare that Flourishes Through Simulation
The Symposium is intentionally structured to create space for conversation, collaboration, and community building, whether you are sharing research, testing new ideas, or learning from peers. Grounded in real‑world practice and emerging scholarship, the 2026 Symposium focuses on how healthcare can thrive through simulation that considers:
Trust and Psychological Safety
Human-Centred Design
Responsible Technology
Interprofessional and Systems-Based Training
Value, Evaluation, and Impact
Equity in Design and Delivery
Through keynote presentations, panel discussions, hands-on workshops, poster presentations, and self-guided tours through the state-of-the-art Learning Institute Simulation Centre, participants will engage with ideas that are practical, reflective, and forward‑looking.
Who Should Attend
The SimKIDS Simulation Symposium is designed for healthcare simulation enthusiasts of all levels and disciplines, including:
- Simulation Educators and Facilitators
- Simulation Operation Specialists
- Clinicians and Interprofessional Healthcare Providers
- Researchers and Quality Improvement Leaders
- Learners and Early Career Professionals
- Program Managers, Administrators, and System Leaders
- Industry partners
Building an Inclusive and Reflective Space
SimKIDS Simulation Program is committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive, and psychologically safe learning environment. The Symposium values diverse perspectives and encourages participation from students, early career professionals, and individuals from groups historically underrepresented in healthcare simulation to submit poster presentations for this year's event. The event will also offer sliding-scale virtual tickets to reduce financial and geographical barriers to attending.
Why Attend
By the end of the day, participants will be able to:
- Describe how the design of human-centered simulation experiences can intentionally integrate learner experience, emotion, realism, and the perspectives of patients and families to enhance meaningful learning and care outcomes.
- Evaluate and apply technologies in simulation in a responsible manner, considering ethics, bias, safety, and implications for decision making and practice.
- Discuss simulation strategies that foster trust, psychological safety, interprofessional collaboration, and equity, and describe their value, impact, and sustainability at the system level.
Whether you are deeply embedded in simulation practice or just beginning your journey, the SimKIDS Simulation Symposium, 2026 offers an inspiring environment to learn, share, and help healthcare systems truly THRIVE.
Call for Poster Submissions
We are pleased to invite poster submissions for the SimKIDS Simulation Symposium at SickKids on September 22, 2026. The poster session is designed to showcase innovative, reflective, and impactful work across healthcare simulation, education, and system improvement. We welcome submissions from educators, clinicians, researchers, learners, administrators, and simulation professionals at all career stages.
Posters may describe completed work, work in progress, program innovations, quality improvement initiatives, or conceptual frameworks. Submissions that highlight collaboration, reflection, and lessons learned, rather than only positive outcomes, are strongly encouraged.
Symposium Themes
The overarching theme of this year’s symposium is: “THRIVE: Healthcare that Flourishes Through Simulation”. Submissions should align with one primary theme below (and may address additional themes as relevant):
A. Value, Evaluation, and Impact
- Demonstrating the value of simulation in education, clinical practice, or system improvement
- Program evaluation, outcomes assessment, and return on investment
- Measuring learner, team, or organizational impact
- Innovative evaluation methods or meaningful use of data
B. Interprofessional and Systems-Based Training
- Interprofessional education and collaborative practice
- Simulation for team training, communication, and coordination
- Systems-based approaches (e.g., workflow testing, latent safety threats, process improvement)
- Simulation across the continuum of care or across organizations
C. Equity in Design and Delivery
- Equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, or anti-oppression-informed simulation
- Co-design with learners, patients, families, or communities
- Addressing bias, representation, or power dynamics in simulation
- Adaptations to improve access, participation, or relevance
D. Trust and Psychological Safety
- Designing psychologically safe learning environments
- Faculty development related to trust, debriefing, or facilitation
- Managing emotional responses, conflict, or challenging scenarios
- Building trust within teams, programs, or organizations
Submission Categories
Authors may indicate one category that best fits their poster:
- Research
- Program or Curriculum Innovation
- Quality Improvement / Patient Safety
- Faculty or Facilitator Development
- Systems Testing or Operations
- Conceptual or Theoretical Work
- Lessons Learned / Reflective Practice
Poster Abstract Submission Guidelines
Abstracts should be no more than 300 words and include the following headings:
- Background / Context
- Purpose or Problem Addressed
- Description of the Simulation or Approach
- Outcomes, Insights, or Lessons Learned
- Relevance to the Chosen Theme(s)
References are optional and not included in the word count.
Review Criteria
Abstracts will be reviewed by the planning committee and scored using the following criteria:
- Alignment with symposium themes
- Clarity and coherence of the submission
- Innovation, relevance, or transferability
- Reflection on impact, challenges, or learning
- Contribution to healthcare simulation practice or scholarship
Poster Presentation Format
- Accepted presenters are expected to attend the poster session and be available in person for discussion.
- For environmental and equity purposes, posters will be digitally displayed and do not require physical printing.
Important Dates
- Abstract submission deadline: July 13, 2026
- Notification of acceptance: August 17, 2026
- Poster session date: September 22, 2026, in-person at SickKids
Equity and Inclusion Statement
We are committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive, and psychologically safe symposium environment. Submissions from students, early-career professionals, and individuals from underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged. If you require accommodations or have questions about accessibility, please contact leah.shoemaker@sickkids.ca.
Submission Instructions
Please submit your abstract to leah.shoemaker@sickkids.ca with the subject line “Symposium Poster Application”
Questions may be directed to simlabbooking.requests@sickkids.ca
Contact Us
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with us at simlabbooking.requests@sickkids.ca