Walter Eppich appointed Professor of Work Integrated Research

Walter Eppich has been appointed as Professor of Work Integrated Research in a joint role between the faculty’s Collaborative Practice Centre and the Department of Medical Education in the Melbourne Medical School.

Professor Walter Eppich will drive a program of research into work-integrated learning.

Professor Eppich will drive a program of research into work-integrated learning, including how students best learn in authentic contexts, and how clinicians can continue to develop in the workplace. In particular, he brings expertise in how to improve teamwork in healthcare settings.

Professor Eppich currently serves as Professor and Chair of the SIM Centre for Simulation Education and Research at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) University of Medicine and Health Science in Dublin.

There, he has led a team that oversees simulation-based education and assessment for a range of undergraduate and post-graduate health professional programmes, including medicine, surgery, pharmacy, physiotherapy, and nursing. He also established research streams focused on advancing simulation science and improving how health professionals work better together.

Prior to this role, he spent over 15 years at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, where he was immersed in health professions education both as a clinical supervisor in the paediatric emergency department and as Director of the Feinberg Academy of Medical Educators.

He has co-authored 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and now serves as Senior Editor for the journal Advances in Simulation. In 2019, he was named a Fellow of the Karolinska Institutet and its program for advancing medical education worldwide.

Professor Eppich brings a wealth of experience in the fields of simulation, team reflection, feedback and debriefing, and the faculty looks forward to welcoming him from Monday 30 October 2023.