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Denise LaMarra, MS, CHSE

VP of Operations, Association of SP Educators
Director, SP Program, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

Denise LaMarra is Director of the Standardized Patient (SP) Program at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, a position she has held since 2006. She previously served as Assistant Director of the Standardized Patient Training and Case Development at the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) and Case Developer at the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), participating in the launching of national SP exams for allopathic and osteopathic physicians. At Penn, she oversees all aspects of SP programming for students, house staff and faculty, nurses and other professionals.

She currently serves as Vice President of Operations for the Association of SP Educators (ASPE). A member of ASPE since 2002, she was recognized as Outstanding Educator of the Year by the association in 2021. She is a member of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH), and a certified health simulation educator (CHSE).

Denise has presented regionally and nationally on the creative application of SPs beyond the realm of undergraduate medical education. She’s designed professional-development workshops for SPs and SP educators on a variety of topics, including the enhancement of verbal and written feedback from SPs, and best practices in program administration. She has authored or co-authored a number of publications and book chapters related to SP methodology. Denise led the creation of SP Management System (SPMS), which about a dozen medical schools in the U.S. and Canada have acquired to facilitate hiring, scheduling, managing expenses and streamlining of operations.

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