PM Carney visiting SIM Centre
Photo courtesy of the Prime Minister's Office.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney recently got a first-hand look at the world-class facilities at The University of Ottawa Skills and Simulation Centre (uOSSC), a national and international leader in simulation-based medical education and high-caliber research.

Prime Minister Carney’s tour of the thriving uOSSC – one of the busiest and most diverse centres of its kind in North America – included a glimpse of various state-of-the-art patient simulators, such as operating-room replicas with computer-driven manikins recreating patient care in hospitals, and virtual-reality training modules. 

Carney shaking hands
Prime Minister Mark Carney shakes hands with staff and trainees at the University of Ottawa Skills and Simulation Centre as part of his Nov. 6, 2025 visit. (Photo courtesy of the Prime Minister's Office)

The Centre’s cutting-edge resources are all designed to give medical students, residents and allied health professionals immersive, hands-on experience in critical care, emergency response and inter-professional teamwork.

In one learning activity, Prime Minister Carney used a laparoscopic tool to perform a simulated procedure intended to help surgeons-in-training.

Carney doing medical simulation
Listening to instructions by Dr. Jason Frank, Prime Minister Carney uses a laparoscopic tool to see how one simulated medical procedure is done. (Photo courtesy of the Prime Minister's Office.)

The high-level Nov. 6 visit to The University of Ottawa Skills and Simulation Centre -- born out of a partnership between the University and The Ottawa Hospital – included Minister of Health Marjorie Michel, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, and several members of parliament.

/Carney and health minister 3
Prime Minister Carney and Minister of Health Marjorie Michel chat with trainees and staff in a hospital ward replica. (Photo courtesy of the Prime Minister's Office)

Dr. Jason Frank, a clinician-educator who is founding director of the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine’s Centre for Innovation in Medical Education and interim vice-president of medical education at The Ottawa Hospital, had the opportunity to accompany the delegation during their tour and highlighted the extensive training and practice learners benefit from to ensure the highest standards of patient care.  

“It was an honour to welcome Prime Minister Carney, Mayor Sutcliffe and other elected officials to one of the most dynamic and innovative centres for medical education in the country, and to give them a first-hand look at how our learners hone their skills through highly realistic simulation experiences,” Dr. Frank says.