Clinical Skills & Simulation Center staff

Director of the Clinical Skills & Simulation Center
570-504-7307

Mary Lawhon Triano, MSN, CRNP is an assistant professor of family medicine in the Department of Medical Education and the longitudinal lead for clinical skills education and assessment. As the director of the clinical skills and simulation center at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Ms. Lawhon Triano is responsible for the overall use and integration of the Geisinger Commonwealth simulation resources, including standardized patients, high-fidelity simulations and medical skills activities.

Education Director for Simulation
570-955-1322

John L. Szarek, BSPharm, PhD, CHSE, is professor of pharmacology, director of clinical pharmacology and vice chair of curriculum. Dr. Szarek serves as education director for simulation. In his role at the CSSC, he works to integrate basic sciences into simulation scenarios across the four years of the MD curriculum. He also assists in faculty development. Dr. Szarek is one of the leaders for interprofessional education (IPE) and works with other health professions faculty in using simulation in IPE. He’s a certified healthcare simulation educator and completed a master training workshop for TeamSTEPPS.

Associate Director of the Clinical Skills & Simulation Center 
570-687-9680

Kathryn Powell, MA, is the associate director of the Clinical Skills & Simulation Center.  In her role, she oversees the day-to-day operations of the simulation center, the coordination of simulation activities across the medical education curriculum and the future planning for the use of simulation in research and medical education. Ms. Powell assists the director of simulation with the creation of a shared multi-year programmatic vision in coordination with key stakeholders and for planning, designing, implementing and evaluating simulation-based learning across the continuum from standardized patients to high-fidelity simulators, overseeing and administering all aspects of the Standardized Patient Program in the Clinical Skills and Simulation Center.

Simulation and Operations Specialist 
570-207-3681

Sara Sohns is the simulations and operations specialist. In her role, she serves as the chief simulator operator and programmer, testing and running scenarios with faculty instructors. Ms. Sohns makes sure the facility and equipment are set up for teaching sessions. She also oversees the use and operation of different simulator technologies ranging from anatomic models and task trainers to screen-based simulators, full body patient simulators and virtual reality simulators. She identifies opportunities for technology improvement and integration into healthcare education.

Standardized Patient Program Specialist
570-207-3682