ESAIC Academy

Christopher Neuhaus

Christopher Neuhaus, M.D, M.Sc., trained as a physician anesthesiologist and has been working at the University Hospital Heidelberg in Germany since 2010. With a background in commercial aviation, he has been active in research and teaching of human factors topics and their impact on patient safety. He holds a M.Sc. in Human Factors and Systems Safety from Lund University, Sweden. With over 10 years’ experience in medical simulation, he is the director of the Heidelberg Simulation Center for Anesthesia and Emergency Medicine (HANS) and the current director of the ESA Patient Safety and Quality Masterclass.

Daniel Arnal-Velasco

Dr. Arnal is anesthesiologist at the Hospital Universitario Fundacion Alcorcon, Spain, and is the European Society of Anaestehsiology (ESA) Patient Safety and Quality Committee Chair. Dr. Arnal is cofounder and past president of the Spanish Anesthesia Incident Reporting System (SENSAR), Chairman of the Patient Safety Movement Foundation (PSMF) Regional Network for Spain and Latin America and Vice-president of the Quality, Patient Safety and Ethics of the Spanish Society of Anesthesiology and Reanimation (SEDAR).

His publications and scientific interests focus on Patient Safety and is Coeditor of the Spanish Anesthesia and Critical Patient Crisis Manual. As clinical simulator instructor participates as faculty in IDEhA Simulation Center (Alcorcon), SENSAR and ESA patient safety continuous education programs.

Johannes Wacker

Dr. Wacker has completed his anaesthesiology training in Zurich, Switzerland, and trained as a Clinical and Research Fellow in Cardiac Anaesthesia & Intensive Care at Toronto General Hospital, Canada. He has been a Consultant Anaesthesiologist at the University Hospital Zurich, from 2001-2009, and at the Hirslanden Clinic in Zurich since 2009.

Dr. Wacker is currently Past Chair and a member of the Patient Safety and Quality Committee of the European Society of Anaesthesiology. He is a member of the Data and Quality Committee of the Swiss Society for Anaesthesiology and Reanimation. His scientific interests and publications focus on perioperative patient safety and quality. He is Associate Lecturer (Patient Safety) at the University of Zurich.

Peter Dieckmann

Work and Organisational Psychologist working as senior scientist with the Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation (CAMES) and as Professor for Health Care Education and Patient Safety with the University of Stavanger, Norway. Peter Dieckmann is interested in using simulation for basic education, advanced training, and research in the interest of patient safety. He is Past President of the Society in Europe for Simulation Applied to Medicine (SESAM). Peter is a recognized facilitator trainer, conference speaker, workshop conductor, and established simulation freak. Beyond simulation, he uses visual methods (especially video and eye-tracking) combined with interviews to study healthcare processes, especially in the area of medication safety. He is inventor of several interactive workshops to help healthcare professionals learn issues of human factors and safety. Author to 62 peer reviewed journal articles and 32 book chapters.  He is also a proud dad, husband, and windsurfer.

Michael St.Pierre

Dr. St.Pierre, PhD, DEAA, is anaesthetist at the Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care at the University Hospital in Erlangen Germany and director of the department’s simulation center. He has worked as simulation instructor for over twenty years and wrote his PhD-thesis on simulation-based strategies to improve patient safety.

Dr. St.Pierre is cofounder of and case analyst for the German Society of Anesthesia and Intensive Care’s Critical Incident Reporting System (CIRS-AINS), an achievement for which he received the German Anaesthesia Foundation’s Anaesthesia Patient Safety Award. Currently, he chaires a working group of the Professional Association of Anaesthetists (BDA) for the development and nation wide implementation of a digital cognitive aid for intraoperative emergencies.

Dr. St.Pierre is author of several books on patient safety, simulation in healthcare, and on human factors and team psychology in a high stakes environment.

For the past two years, he has been a master student at Lund University’s Human Factors and System Safety program.

Jamie Thomas King

Jamie Thomas King is an English-American artist, actor and writer. He studied painting at Fine Arts College in London and acting at The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Since graduating in 2002, Jamie has performed at the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and on London’s West End. He has entertained international film and television audiences in “The Tudors,” “Mad Men” and “Mr. Turner,” to name a few. Throughout his acting career, Jamie has never been too far from his painting studio and has frequently undertaken private commissions. His creative process has always been driven by a fundamental sense of awe and curiosity for life. This has led him on an even deeper spiritual journey. He has meditated daily for over 20 years and studied many different styles of yoga and other healing modalities. Jamie believes in the transcendent power of art and storytelling to connect people and elevate the human experience. Following the tragic and preventable death of his youngest son Benjamin in 2016, Jamie has been propelled into the world of patient safety. He is using his voice to raise awareness about the issues surrounding medical negligence, safety guidelines and the disturbing trends of litigation culture within the healthcare system. He is currently writing a feature film based on the life of patient-safety advocate, James Titcombe. Jamie lives in Toronto with his wife Tamara Podemski, their son Oliver and their two dogs.