Dr. Alaina Herrington is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Judith Gore Gearhart Clinical Skills Center at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

She is renowned throughout the nursing education community for her enduring leadership in simulation education. She has cultivated simulation educators through creating steps, tools, exemplars, and courses leading them with the knowledge to achieve simulation certifications and accreditation. Her research, mentorship, and contributions to creating standards of best practices have been the results of her international initiatives. She has and is mentoring educators from her local region and around the world. She has helped over 20 organizations from around the globe to become accredited in simulation. Some of her most significant contributions have been conducting a statewide simulation assessment, creating a statewide simulation faculty development program, founding the Society for Simulation in Healthcare’s (SSH) Online Accreditation Courses, and being a creator/contributor of the National League for Nursing’s Nursing Edge Blog. She was recognized last year for her work as an Academy in Nursing Education Fellow and a Fellow in the SSH Academy.