Rezan Jafary

Rezan Jafary

Rezan Jafary is a biomedical engineer currently finishing her PhD at the Cardio-Respiratory Engineering And Technology laboratory (CREATElab), Monash University; where she’s worked on building a novel simulation-based training suite for a complex and high-risk form of life support referred to as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

ECMO provides mechanical support for the hearts and lungs of severely ill patients including those suffering from COVID-19.

The model is a patient simulator that allows clinicians to practice the basics of ECMO in a safe environment. This model will increase accessibility to ECMO training and allow repetitive practice without the ethical and time constraints of animal-based training.

Rezan and the ICU clinicians at the Alfred Hospital (Melbourne, Australia) anticipate that this simulator will replace animal models for repetitive training allowing clinicians to improve their confidence and competency which in turn will reduce mistakes and ECMO risks and potentially save patients’ lives.