Emergency Simulation Training Expands Ahead of AFCON

As Tanzania prepares to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations with Kenya and Uganda, USF Health is helping expand its emergency medicine training capacity.

In July, faculty and simulation experts from USF Health's Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) traveled to Tanzania to teach local educators the foundations of simulation-based education in a four-day course at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), preparing them to continue training providers after the course ended.

The training builds on an existing MUHAS-USF Health collaboration in emergency medicine.

Ahead of the tournament, MUHAS's emergency medicine residency program has grown from 18 to 40 residents, increasing demand for trained faculty. During the four-day program, 13 Tanzanian faculty members learned simulation fundamentals, then taught 16 emergency medicine residents. Training was led by Luis E. Llerena, MD, medical director of USF Health CAMLS, and Michael Simoes, MD, assistant professor and simulation educator at CAMLS, covering psychological safety, scenario design, debriefing and identifying learning objectives.

Participants designed and ran simulated scenarios, including caring for a dehydrated infant using ultrasound and teaching ultrasound-guided IV placement with low-fidelity equipment. The exercises encouraged participants to start with the clinical skills they wanted to teach, then decide what equipment and simulation level were needed — teaching Tanzanian educators to think like simulation educators and prepare learners for realistic clinical scenarios.

"These simulations allowed learners to practice procedures safely, build their communication skills, make mistakes and receive feedback without putting patients at risk," Dr. Llerena said. "We're helping create a reservoir of experts so they can continue to share that knowledge with other healthcare providers across Africa."

Tanzania will host the eighth African Conference on Emergency Medicine in Arusha in November 2026, where MUHAS and USF Health plan to offer a simulation course led by the trained faculty.

“This is about building something that lasts beyond the training itself,” Dr. Llerena said. “Ultimately, our hope is that this becomes a model that grows through the people we train and reaches even more healthcare professionals and, most importantly, the patients they serve.”