UNC Anesthesiology congratulates Assistant Professor Michael Hart, MD, on receiving a UNC Provost’s Office of Faculty Affairs IBM Junior Faculty Development Award. For the 2026-2027 awards cycle, the Office of Faculty Affairs’ Committee on Faculty Leaves and Awards granted Dr. Hart $10K for his 12-month project entitled: “Standardizing and Strengthening Debriefing in Anesthesiology Simulation: Faculty Development, CRM Integration, and Measured Impact.” Dr. Hart’s project aims to elevate the quality and consistency of clinical faculty debriefing practices within the UNC Anesthesiology Simulation Program through 
closing gaps where simulation scenarios used by teaching faculty are well-established, though vary widely, often emphasizing clinical events over reflective learning or crisis resource management (CRM) principles.
Over 12-month award period, Dr. Hart will undergo advanced debriefing training through The Center for Medical Simulation’s Advanced Instructor Course to acquire faculty leadership skills to guide and oversee standardization of debriefing practices across the department. From the advanced debriefing training, Dr. Hart will design and implement a standardized debriefing toolkit that incorporates evidence-based frameworks such as PEARLS and advocacy–inquiry, with explicit integration of Crisis Resource Management (CRM) concepts. Dr. Hart will then lead structured workshops to train UNC simulation faculty in the use of this toolkit, supported by pocket guides and checklists to facilitate adoption.
Of his project’s merits, Dr. Hart noted: “Because debriefing is the most potent determinant of learning in simulation-based education, improving this component has significant potential to enhance resident educational outcomes, faculty confidence, and the program’s scholarly productivity.”