Jill Sanko is an award winning simulation researcher with over 20 years experience in the healthcare simulation space. She began her career in simulation-based education at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center as the founding Associate Director of the Simulation and Patient Safety Program. Moving back to Miami 2008 for the next 12 years she worked in several research and teaching positions for U of Miami and Jackson Memorial Hospital further establishing herself as a leading expert in healthcare simulation to improve healthcare safety.

Dr. Sanko holds several certifications across related areas including, board certification as an Acute Care NP, as an Advanced Certified Simulation Educator, a Friday Night at the ER Team Learning Simulation Leader, and a Fellow of the Society for Simulation Academy. Her research interests include the intersection of simulation-based inter-professional team education to improve patient safety and the incorporation of systems thinking and systems-based practice in healthcare settings and education. She has over 40 articles, book chapters and other publications and has presented her work nationally and internationally. Her research efforts have also garnered awards from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare for her work Exploring the Relationship Between Team Cohesion and Team Performance, Simulation to Improve Situational Awareness, Simulation to Test a Hand Hygiene Reminding System, Simulation as a Means to Improve Adverse Event Reporting, and Exploration of Systems Thinking on Patterns of Adverse Event Reporting.

She is active in her community of practice as well; currently serving in several roles within the Society for Simulation in Healthcare including as co-chair of the distance simulation affinity group, chair of the meetings oversight committee, and chair of the Academy of Simulation Fellows. She is also part of the executive team for the Distance Simulation Collaboration.