Education

Donald J. Wilfong Jr, MD, is Medical Director of the STAR Center. He is a practicing physician at the Health System, specializing in Internal Medicine. He is also Chief of the Department of Medicine and Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at Temple University and Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Bradenton, Fla., and Erie, Pa. He is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and Hahnemann University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in internal medicine at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, where he has continued to practice for the past 28 years. He is a member of Alpha Omega Medical Honor Society, The American Medical Association, and the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. He is a well known expert lecturer on Disease State Management and Preventative Care. dwilfon1@wpahs.org  

Donamarie N-Wilfong, DNP, RN is Director of Clinical Education at the STAR Center. She is a graduate of Gwynedd Mercy College where she received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh with a Master’s Degree in Nursing and from Waynesburg University where she received her Doctorate in Nursing Practice. She assisted in the design, development and implementation of the STAR Center. She is a book reviewer for Jones& Bartlett Publishing Company and the lead author of Nursing School Success: Tools for Constructing Your Future. She has taught nursing for over thirty years at the diploma, associate and baccalaureate levels. She was the primary investigator on a research project entitled: The Effects of Virtual Intravenous and Patient Simulator Training Compared to the Traditional Approach of Teaching Nurses: A Research Project on Peripheral IV Catheter Insertion, that was published in the 2011 Journal of Infusion Nursing. She is the co- author of The Mock Code Training Course: Using Interdisciplinary Group Dynamics. She has participated in three National League for Nursing research projects to measure the effectiveness of simulation training in various aspects of nursing education. They include:NLN/Laerdal/American Heart Association study on various approaches to learning BLS and ACLS, NLN Unfolding Case Study and NLN High Stakes Evaluation. She has also presented at many regional, national and international simulation conferences. She is currently working on debriefing and communication research projects and the implementation of online learning courses at STAR. She is a member of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, the Sigma Theta Tau, National Nursing Honor Society and the Academy of Excellence at West Penn Hospital. dwilfong@wpahs.org   

Joshua Franczyk, AT, is Simulation Specialist Supervisor for the STAR Center. His duties consist of the daily operations of the center. Prior to his employment at STAR, Joshua was a Simulation Specialist at the WISER Institute. He has years of experience in simulation and has worked with numerous professional experts developing courses, conducting research, and programming the simulator software to create medical emergencies. He received an associate's degree from the Western School of Health and Business with a specialty in Anesthesia Technology. Upon graduation, Mr. Franczyk became the Clinical Coordinator at the Western School for the Anesthesia Technologist program, where he was responsible for students' clinical education at hospitals throughout the Pittsburgh region. jfranczy@wpahs.org   

Lawrence O'Leary, BA, is a Simulation Specialist at the STAR Center at WPAHS. He is a graduate of Point Park University and holds a bachelor's degree in Photography/Multi-Media. He has more than 26 years of in-depth experience at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, a tertiary care teaching institution, and is responsible for operating and maintaining the STAR Center's human simulators and other equipment. He also works with physicians, nurses, and ancillary staff in creating scenarios for their courses. Other duties include teaching participants how to use the simulators, preparing the simulators for courses, and meeting with vendors. He is a member of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSIH). loleary@wpahs.org   

Anthony Cuda, NREMTP, is a Simulation Specialist and educator. He has served as a Paramedic, Chief Officer, and Educator in his 25 years in Emergency Medical Services. He holds certifications as a Paramedic and as an instructor for EMS, ACLS, PALS, CPR, and PHTLS courses.  He currently serves as the Program Coordinator for the CCAC paramedic programs.  He is a contributor and reviewer for Jones and Bartlett Publishing and a lifelong learner. His duties at the STAR Center include preparation and delivery of simulation training, course development, instruction, and outreach to surrounding stake holders. acuda@wpahs.org

Laura Daniel, Ph.D.-ABD, is an independent statistical and psychometric research consultant for the STAR Center. She is expected to complete her Ph.D. from the Research Methodology program in the Psychology in Education department at the University of Pittsburgh in 2011. Laura also graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, School of Arts and Sciences, summa cum laude, with a B.S. in Statistics and Sociology. She has taught graduate level Research Methodology courses at the University of Pittsburgh and has presented several of her research projects at international conferences, including her dissertation on The Effects of Cross-Classified Model Misspecification on Value-Added, Growth Models with Improper Covariance Structures, at the 2011 American Educational Research Association's annual meeting, her paper on The Impact of Inappropriate Modeling of Cross-Classified Data Structures on Random-Slope Models, at the 2008 Psychometric Society's annual meeting and a poster of A Simulation Study of Fitting a CFA Model to EFA Data, at the 2007 National Council of Measurement annual meeting. She was a co-author on the Mock Code Training: Using the Teamwork Approach (A work in progress) project that was presented at the University of Pittsburgh’s Nursing Conference in 2010 and also on the research paper titled, The Effects of Virtual Intravenous and Patient Simulator Training Compared to the Traditional Approach of Teaching Nurses: A Research Project on Peripheral IV Catheter Insertion, that was published in the 2011 Journal of Infusion Nursing. She was also a co-author on The Impact of Workplace Policies and Other Social Factors on Self-Reported Influenza-Like Illness Incidence During the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic, which is in press at the American Journal of Public Health. Laura designs experimental and survey research projects and evaluation initiatives in the center as well as develops surveys, manages data collection, and conducts data analyses. She is currently working on debriefing and communication research projects at STAR. She is a member of the American Evaluation Association, the American Statistical Association, and the Psychometric Society. email Laura

Sue Lebanik is an Administrative Secretary at STAR. She has been a WPAHS employee for 23 years. Ms. Lebanik brings to STAR a wealth of experience and knowledge in the field of organization and administrative assistance. She is instrumental in the coordination of initiatives incorporating simulation into patient safety and training.