SimX, a virtual reality (VR) medical simulation platform, has been awarded a $1.25 million Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant by AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force (DAF). The grant will fund the development of a VR medical simulation training curriculum focused on women’s health, addressing pressing challenges within the DAF.
The San Jose-based company will collaborate with simulation training experts at the USF Health Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) at the University of South Florida. This partnership aims to create an immersive VR experience that combines modern technology with traditional teaching methods, including personalized instruction and expert mentorship feedback.
Alan Todd, DNP, CRNA, CHSE, FAANA, associate professor in the Department of Medical Education at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and principal investigator for the SimX project, shared: “We have an opportunity to make a huge impact on how we train both military and civilian nurses in the future using virtual reality technology. The integration of VR technology into simulation educational activities allows us to train health teams remotely on advanced health care procedures.”
The project aims to remove traditional barriers in healthcare provider training by bringing specialized medical education directly to professionals, particularly those in remote areas. This approach could significantly benefit military personnel stationed in remote parts of the world, ensuring they have access to up-to-date training in women’s health care.
SimX’s VR platform is already in use at prominent institutions such as Mayo Clinic, Stanford, NYU, University of Pennsylvania, and the US Air Force. The company claims to have the world’s most comprehensive virtual reality medical simulation training platform and the largest library of VR-simulated patient encounters.
This grant and the resulting women’s health training curriculum could represent a step forward in the intersection of femtech and medical education. By focusing on women’s health issues within a military context, the project has the potential to improve healthcare outcomes for female service members and dependents, while also advancing VR technology in medical training more broadly.
