Emily Diederich is a pulmonary and critical care physician at the University of Kansas Medical Center. She serves as director of simulation for the Zamierowski Institute of Experiential Learning, a training center for health care students and professionals from the University of Kansas Hospital and KU Medical Center. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from K-State in kinesiology, followed by a medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and a fellowship at the KU School of Medicine. She is board certified in internal medicine, with sub-certifications in pulmonary diseases and critical care medicine. Diederich serves as co-chair of the American College of Chest Physicians Difficult Airway Simulation Course.
She developed a simulation-based curriculum in critical care and has written and presented extensively on simulation-based education. Her advocacy of simulation-based learning grew from her conviction that the most critical step for any medical practitioner is to practice requisite skills. “Simulation-based education provides the unique opportunity to do this in a safe, standardized way while allowing for objective evaluation, feedback and reflection,” Diederich said.
