Dawn Taylor Peterson

Dawn Taylor Peterson is an Associate Professor at the Heersink School of Medicine, Department of Medical Education, and holds joint appointments in the School of Health Professions (Department of Health Services Administration) and the School of Nursing (Nursing Academic Support) at The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She also serves as Director of the Office of Interprofessional Simulation for Innovative Clinical Practice under the Office of the Provost. Dr. Peterson holds a PhD in Instructional Design, an Educational Specialist degree, and a Master of Arts in Education. She is a certified TeamSTEPPS® Master Trainer and has over 25 years of experience in education, including 12 years specializing in simulation-based learning.

Her research focuses on debriefing methods, interprofessional simulation, and faculty development in healthcare education. Notable projects include developing simulation models for medical students (e.g., the Simulation Teaching Associate program) and implementing large-scale interprofessional poverty simulations to address healthcare disparities. She has pioneered approaches like Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice (RCDP) for advanced life support training and led studies on simulation-enhanced interprofessional education outcomes.

Dr. Peterson’s work spans diverse healthcare disciplines, with recent publications exploring trends in simulation scholarship through text mining and evaluating the impact of simulation on learner perceptions of critical topics like acute radiation syndrome and poverty’s health effects. Her teaching includes courses on simulation design, methodology, and quality improvement in healthcare.

• Professional Activities: Member of the Healthcare Educators Academy (2019–present).
• Grants & Leadership: Directed UAB’s Office of Interprofessional Simulation since 2022, overseeing initiatives to integrate simulation across health professions training.
• Labs/Teams: Leads the Office of Interprofessional Simulation, which coordinates interprofessional activities across UAB’s health sciences schools.