UM Media RelationsAlexandra Bassil, 305-284-1092
The (SONHS) announced the creation of the R. Kirk Landon Challenge. Landon will match all leadership gifts of $50,000 or more, up to a total of $1 million towards the construction of a Simulation Hospital. A key priority of the campaign, UM’s SONHS plans to open one of the nation’s first education-based Simulation Hospitals. The five-story, 39,000-square foot facility will replicate the real-time flow of activities in a clinical practice and hospital ranging from birth to end-of-life care and from inpatient to home health care experiences.
“The Simulation Hospital will continue the School’s tradition as a pioneer in the provision of innovative, state-of-the-art health care research and education. We are excited that one of the leaders of our community is partnering with the School of Nursing and Health Studies in this unique and exciting way to help build this first-class facility right here in our own backyard,” said Dean Nilda (Nena) Peragallo Montano, DrP.H., R.N., F.A.A.N.
With the Challenge, R. Kirk Landon and his life-partner Pamela Garrison, R.N. want to engage a community of people who care about the future of health care. They share a dedication to UM’s SONHS and its stellar track record of innovative health care education and research. Garrison is the School’s campaign co-chair and a retired recovery room nurse who has volunteered in multiple leadership roles at the School.
“The School of Nursing and Health Studies has a powerful vision for improving health care through advanced education and research,” said Landon, one of South Florida’s leading philanthropists. “What we accomplish together will have widespread impact today and for generations to come.”
Now celebrating its 65th anniversary, the School has been at the forefront of health care innovation throughout its history. The Simulation Hospital will provide both students and professionals with opportunity to work with standardized patient actors and simulators that mimic detailed symptoms and respond to interventions. With the aim of identifying and correcting deficiencies, the Simulation Hospital will facilitate inter-professional collaborations, where teams of nurses, physicians, pharmacists, physical therapists, and other health care professionals can improve patient safety outcomes. It will be a test site for new health care products and patient safety research.
To participate in the R. Kirk Landon Challenge, contact: Karla V. Hernandez, Executive Director for Advancement, at 305-284-1892 or