Celebrating Innovation

As the director of simulation and interactive technology at NSU’s Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences, Melissa Morris explores new avenues in virtual and augmented reality for healthcare simulation education and research. Her husband Ken serves as a member of the Susie and Alan B. Levan NSU Ambassadors Board and hopes to foster new technological and entrepreneurial companies in his position as a commercial real estate advisory consultant and broker. Together, becoming members of the Fellows Society as charter fellows of the Alan B. Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation was a natural progression of their relationship with NSU.

“It was a joint decision because of our deep roots with the university,” Ken said. ““We felt that it would be a natural progression for us to be involved in the center of innovation, not only as potential mentors, but also as contributors, because there’s so much change that we’re excited about. What better place to be then in the middle of it?”

Ken’s roots with NSU began in his formative years when he attended kindergarten through eighth grade at NSU University School. Once in the business world, he was invited to join the NSU Levan Ambassadors Board. He is now a member of the executive committee. His affiliation with the board provided him the opportunity to delve into a personal interest—marine education.

“For a while, I was cleaning the turtle pool every Saturday at the Carpenter house at MEEC,” Ken recalled. “Being raised in Broward County, when you recognize the economic impact and societal impact that NSU has on Broward County, South Florida, and the state, it’s a no-brainer to be involved.”

Melissa also found it easy to become involved with the university when she became a mom and was searching for educational opportunities for her children. A licensed registered nurse certified in pediatrics, Melissa learned about the former Mailman Segal Center and was impressed with its penchant for research.

“I’m very steeped in research, so why would I go anywhere else?” Melissa noted. “We started with mommy and me, which was such a positive experience for our children that it was a natural fit for them to attend preschool here. I have a real soft spot for Mailman Segal because they were so professional and so well versed in early childhood care.”

Both of their children are “lifers” at NSU University School, starting in pre-kindergarten and continuing through high school. During that time, Melissa earned her master’s degree at NSU and joined the faculty. She is now working toward her Ph.D. and is heavily involved in the development of the new simulation center on campus.

“I have a high interest in using virtual reality for health profession education,” Melissa said. “Virtual reality—using a head-mounted display such as an HTC VIVE, Pico, or Oculus Quest 2—immerses learners, engaging them, and creating long term memory that can translate to optimal and safe patient care. VR (AR, MR, XR) allows health profession learners to engage in simulated skills training and clinical decision-making scenarios that are deliberate, standardized, and build on many of the offered simulation modalities currently embedded in health profession curricula at NSU. VR and simulation augment face-to-face didactic and clinical experiences.”

In addition to introducing new technologies and virtual opportunities to NSU, Melissa serves on the administrative committee for Interprofessional Education (IPE) Day at NSU, which provides interprofessional training to more than 2,000 students annually. This year, the event included an escape room focused on interprofessional communication and collaboration for safe patient care and a telehealth encounter to introduce students to the identification of human trafficking and the health care provider role. She also is a part of the Multicultural Affairs Committee (MAC) focused on diversity and inclusion at the college and teaches both undergrads and NSU University School students to participate as standardized patients for health profession learner training.

Both Melissa and Ken love dogs, spending time with family, and looking to what comes next.

“I think we’re in the midst of a massive amount of change technologically and societally,” Ken said. “I used to surf when I was younger, and if I use a wave metaphor, we’re right at that point where you’re going down the first part of the wave—it’s thrilling, and you can feel the energy behind you. We wanted to continue to give back and being on the cutting edge seemed like the right place for us to make a commitment.”

For more information on how to support an NSU giving opportunity, please contact Alissa Hechter, assistant vice president of development for NSU University Advancement, at (954) 262-2408 or via email at ah833@nova.edu.

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