RISE Team
Nicole Szalla, DNP, RN, CHSE
Director, RISE Center
Robert Morris University
Dr. Nicole Szalla is a Pittsburgh native, United States Navy veteran, nurse educator, and healthcare simulation leader. She currently serves as Director of the RISE Center, where her work focuses on the use of simulation and experiential learning to develop clinical competence, communication, leadership, and other essential professional skills across disciplines. Dr. Szalla served 11 years in the United States Navy, including service as a commissioned officer in the Navy Nurse Corps.
Her clinical background includes medical-surgical nursing, women's health, maternal-child health, breastfeeding promotion, and home healthcare. She is a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator (CHSE) and has extensive experience designing and facilitating simulation-based education for nursing students, healthcare professionals, educators, and organizational leaders.
Dr. Szalla's scholarly work focuses on simulation pedagogy, workplace incivility and bullying, cognitive rehearsal, communication, leadership development, quality improvement, and interdisciplinary experiential learning. She is particularly interested in creating psychologically safe learning experiences that allow participants to practice difficult conversations, reflect on their own behaviors, and develop skills that transfer beyond the simulation environment.
Her work has been published in the Journal of Nursing Education, The TQM Journal, Journal of Transcultural Nursing, and The Pennsylvania Educational Leadership Journal. She also contributes to the advancement of simulation-based education through professional scholarship, peer review, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
"I love simulation learning, and when simulation is done well, participants walk away with an experience that stays with them. We take that responsibility seriously and strive to create experiences that provide opportunities for personal growth, self-reflection, and the creation of positive learning scars."
Areas of Expertise
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Healthcare simulation and simulation-based education
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Interdisciplinary and interprofessional simulation
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Workplace incivility and bullying mitigation
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Cognitive rehearsal and difficult conversations
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Leadership and professional development
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Medical-surgical nursing
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Maternal and women's health nursing
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Quality and patient safety
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Experiential learning and professional communication
Selected Publications
Szalla, N. A., Lisa, L., Sunday, C., & Lutz, K. (2025). Simulating incivility in the workplace for BSN nursing students. Journal of Nursing Education, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.3928/
Kardambikis, P., & Szalla, N. (2025). The impact of simulation activities on principal preparation programs. The Pennsylvania Educational Leadership Journal, 43(2), 12–18.
Ivanova, A., & Szalla, N. (2025). Applying DMAIC methodology for experiential learning in quality management. The TQM Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-
Devido, J. A., Appelt, C. J., Simpson, A. T., Gola, M. T., & Szalla, N. (2020). The future of nursing education: Multidisciplinary community-engaged research for undergraduate nursing students. Journal of Nursing Education, 59(6), 341–344. https://doi.org/10.3928/
Devido, J. A., Appelt, C. J., & Szalla, N. (2020). Wise women's provision of maternal-child health information and support for urban, African American women. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 31(6), 554–563. https://doi.org/10.1177/
Jeffrey Morgan, MBA
Simulation Operations Specialist
Robert Morris University
Jeff joined RMU in 2021, bringing with him a career of leadership experience in creating high technology, high reliability manufacturing operations. He is a proven leader with over thirty years of increasing responsibility in high technology, high reliability, advanced manufacturing and service operations. Jeff is results oriented, has solid business acumen, and takes a hands-on approach to maximizing resources, reducing expenses, and developing and implementing new methodologies which have consistently and substantially improved corporate profit margins throughout his career. He has held numerous senior level management positions with responsibilities for manufacturing operations, supply chain management, quality systems, and manufacturing engineering. Jeff holds an MBA degree with a concentration in International Business from Point Park University and graduated summa cum laude with a BS in Business. He also has an undergraduate degree in Management & Technologies and has studied Supply Chain Strategy & Management at MIT, Sloan School of Management.
Kara Whitehill, MSN, RN, CPN, CCRN, CNE
Simulation Education Specialist & BLS/PEARS Coordinator
Robert Morris University
Kara is a nurse originally from Maryland who is passionate about educating and mentoring the next generation of nurses. She is a pediatric bedside nurse with a background in both critical care and acute care and sees pediatric patients of all ages and specialties after procedures in the recovery room. She is a basic life support (BLS), Pediatric Emergency Assessment, Recognition and Stabilization (PEARS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) instructor. Most of her nursing experience has been with patients with congenital heart disease. She is very passionate about this field and has volunteered in a developing country implementing a cardiac surgery program and as a camp nurse for this population.
Kara has been a nurse educator both at the hospital level training new nurses in a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit and at the university level. She has held pediatric clinical instructor positions for Catholic University of America, University of Pittsburgh, and Duquesne University. She has facilitated simulation for nursing students at Robert Morris University and now coordinates and teaches BLS and PEARS courses for RMU students and members of the community. She has a special interest in simulation both at the hospital and university level and is a member of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. Some of the work she is most proud of includes electronic medical record enhancements easing access to education resources for nurses discharging complex patients, a multidisciplinary quality improvement project reducing cardiac arrests, and easing the transition to practice for the new graduate nurse through a robust orientation program including simulation.
Key professional areas of interest: patient and family education, pediatric congenital heart disease, novice nurse transition to practice, multidisciplinary quality improvement, nurse to nurse mentoring, simulation, interprofessional collaboration and communication.
Kaitlin Slaney
RMU RISE Center Standardized Patient Coordinator
Robert Morris University
Kaitlin Slaney is no stranger to the world of Standardized Patients. She graduated in 2010 from California University of Pennsylvania with a BA major in Theatre and a concentration in Dance and Musical Theatre. This is where she was introduced to the work as an actor in role-play for the Social Work Department's education and for the local Police Department's training. Kaitlin moved to Columbus, OH to pursue her acting career, and resided out there for 10 years both working in the acting community and the standardized patient community. Her extensive background in this field includes work from all over the country; Ohio State University, the University of Kentucky, New York University, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Minnesota, Professional Communication Simulators, and right here at Robert Morris University.
"I have watched this work grow to what it is now since 2009. I have worked with universities, hospitals, fire departments, police departments, etc. We are living in a world where front-line workers want and feel the need to practice their communication skills. Connecting, listening, and sharing empathy with people is so supportive and important, and I am so thrilled to be a part of the Rise Center team here at Robert Morris University so we can keep those communication skills growing."
Kaitlin is not just a Standardized Patient and an actress, but she is also a theatre educator, private acting/ audition coach, and a small business 'upcycler'! She has been teaching theatre for 6+ years and has found a home to teach at Pittsburgh CLO Academy where she directs summer camp productions, educates in classroom settings at the academy, and coaches privately. As far as her 'upcycling'; business, back in 2019, she started making all kinds of wearable and repurposed creations using clothing material. She calls this small business Braid Away! Kaitlin lives for the creative!
Jake Zoltun
Simulation Operations Specialist
Robert Morris University
Jake Zoltun is our Simulation Operations Specialist and specializes in technological aspects of simulation. In the RISE Center, Jake focuses on simulation programming and operations, ensuring the smooth and efficient running of simulations. He is particularly interested in quality improvement, technological advancements, and maintaining the overall smoothness of operations. Jake is also passionate about integrating AI into the simulation space and maintains enthusiasm for cutting-edge technology. He studied computer science, web development, game development & design at Rochester Institute of Technology, was born and raised in Robinson Township, PA, and is a proud graduate of Montour School District.
Request More Information On The Rise Center.
Click Here to register for RISE Center courses using our calendar system. If you need to cancel a class you have registered for please send an email to Jeff Morgan morganj@rmu.edu.