03/10/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/10/2026 11:23
Using manikins, live actors, and virtual reality, simulation training gives doctors, nurses, and staff the chance to rehearse everything from trauma and cardiac arrest to opioid overdose
The Remedyis available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio and other platforms
Mar 10, 2026
New York, NY - NYC Health + Hospitals today released a new episode of its podcast, The Remedy, featuring leaders and health care providers from the nation's largest municipal health care system. Season 3 Episode 3: Behind the Scenes at the Simulation Center covers how healthcare teams prepare for life-and-death emergencies. In this episode, host Dr. Michael Shen is joined by Dr. Michael Meguerdichian, Dr. Jacqueline Mahal, and Dr. Daniel Lugassy to discuss how simulation-using manikins, live actors, and virtual reality-gives doctors, nurses, and staff the chance to rehearse everything from trauma and cardiac arrest to opioid overdose. The health care system's commitment to simulating real medical scenarios means not just better technical skills, but more equitable, compassionate, and culturally competent care for all. The newest simulation training focuses on Emergency Department providers and how they respond to patients living with opioid use disorder or at risk of overdose. The health care system also offers simulation training for obstetric emergencies using manikins and virtual reality. Season 3 Episode 3: Behind the Scenes at the Simulation Center is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio and other podcast platforms.
"So much of medicine is in the interaction we have with our patients," said The Remedy Host Michael Shen, MD. "This is such a cool program. I loved doing the simulation training and hearing feedback on the care I provided from actors."
"Simulation gives us an opportunity to stop, reflect, and think about how we can provide better care in the field," said NYC Health + Hospitals Chief System Medical Simulation Officer Michael Meguerdichian, MD, MPH-Ed. "For example, our Labor and Delivery simulation allows us to practice rare and highly dangerous situations like shoulder dystocia, postpartum hemorrhage, and maternal sepsis. Simulation allows us to practice at the highest standard of care."
"Simulation allows us to cover a lot of key concepts in the care we provide, like treatment, technology, and stigmatizing language," said NYC Health + Hospitals Assistant Medical Director of the Workforce Training Program in the Office of Behavioral Health Jacqueline Mahal, MD, MBA. "Working with actors allows our clinicians to feel in the moment. We're supporting not only changes in treatment but also culture change in the care of patients who use opioids."
"Giving a patient buprenorphine in the emergency department bridges them into treatment and supports better health outcomes, but it is a relatively new approach that was not taught in med school," said NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Medical Director of the Simulation Center Daniel Lugassy, MD. "Simulation training helps our providers learn and practice the latest developments in emergency medicine."
NYC Health + Hospitals' role as a public hospital system and the major safety net health care system for New York City offers a singular voice that no other health care podcast can. It shows how the public health care system provides care for all patients, regardless of their ability to pay; offers exciting ways to support patients, including new models of care to address behavioral health needs; and responds to the challenges that face New York City, including homelessness and the climate crisis. The host and guests are all employees of NYC Health + Hospitals with a special perspective on the work they do for patients.
Previous episodes of The Remedy cover the following topics:
Season 3
Season 2
Season 1
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About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city's five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system's trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth -all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.