Advancing FNP education and research through simulation instrumentation to address maternal and infant mortality in rural communities"

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.

Abstract

Maternal and infant mortality in rural orangeburg, south carolina, remains high, with rates significantly exceeding national averages. According to the S.C. Department of health and environmental control, maternal deaths in orangeburg reached 60 per 100,000 live births, and infant mortality approached 10 per 1,000 in 2022. Contributing factors include a lack of specialized providers, limited obstetric resources, delayed recognition of perinatal complications, and inadequate provider training. Aim 1 of this instrumentation grant is to enhance clinical education capacity at claflin university by integrating a high-fidelity obstetric-neonatal simulation suite to train graduate-level family nurse practitioner (FNP) students. We request $250,000 to acquire the laerdal obstetric and neonatal simulation suite, which includes mamaanne®, simbaby®, simnewb®, lleap scenario cloud®, and vsim® platforms. These instruments simulate complex maternal-fetal scenarios such as postpartum hemorrhage, neonatal resuscitation, and respiratory failure, enabling more than one hundred contact hours of scenario- based learning across four graduate FNP courses. Aim 2 is to establish a biomedical research infrastructure to evaluate simulation-based training interventions and investigate maternal-infant health outcomes. The suite's integrated platforms will allow faculty 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 from claflin university will emerge trained in advanced, evidence-based perinatal care. As providers, they will deliver patient education, recognize maternal and fetal distress, and support emergency response management across a variety of healthcare settings. The simulation suite will be housed in the newly constructed nursing and public health building within a state-of-the-art simulation center and maintained by the associate dean of nursing and a full-time FNP academic/simulation coordinator. This instrumentation package directly supports NIH S10 program goals by advancing biomedical research and training capacity while strengthening perinatal healthcare preparedness in rural south carolina.