The National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded Claflin University $222,111 on April 1, 2026, under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859) to acquire and deploy a high-fidelity obstetric-neonatal simulation suite for graduate-level Family Nurse Practitioner education and research addressing maternal and infant mortality in rural South Carolina.
Claflin University will procure the Laerdal Obstetric and Neonatal Simulation Suite, comprising MamaAnne, SimBaby, SimNewB, LLEAP Scenario Cloud, and vSim platforms, to integrate into four graduate FNP courses. The suite will deliver more than one hundred contact hours of scenario-based learning in complex maternal-fetal conditions including postpartum hemorrhage, neonatal resuscitation, and respiratory failure. The instrumentation will support two concurrent aims: enhanced clinical education capacity at Clafrin University, and establishment of biomedical research infrastructure to evaluate simulation-based training interventions and maternal-infant health outcomes. Faculty will use integrated platforms to monitor clinical decision-making, record physiological response data, and extract de-identified information for translational studies. Pilot projects will assess simulation's impact on triage accuracy and evaluate adaptive clinical training modules designed to improve obstetric care preparedness. FNP graduates will emerge trained in advanced, evidence-based perinatal care to recognize maternal and fetal distress and deliver patient education in underserved communities.
Performance occurs in Orangeburg, South Carolina, with a period of performance from April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027.