The mission of the Department of Surgery at Stanford University is to provide excellent patient care, to deliver outstanding undergraduate and graduate education, and furthermore to invent the future of Surgery through a commitment to basic science, clinical research and innovation. To this end, the Goodman Simulation Center at Stanford is an integral part of these missions, and of the broad education programs throughout Stanford University School of Medicine.

The Goodman Simulation Center is a Level 1 American College of Surgeons Accredited Educational Institute.  The Goodman Simulation Center is accredited as part of the Stanford Department of Surgery Education Institute.  The center was first accredited in June 2007 and recently received continued accreditation until December 2016.  During its most recent accreditation review the center received a “Best Practices” notation for its collaboration with the Stanford Business School for the Residency Surgical Skills Leadership program, and was featured in a Best Practices workshop in the 7th Annual Consortium of ACS-accredited Education Institutes meeting. 

The Goodman Simulation Center was chosen to host the ACS-AEI Post Graduate Course in Fall 2015. 

The Education Institute of the Department of Surgery at Stanford School of Medicine was accredited by the American College of Surgeons on June 6, 2007. The accreditation was the culmination of an almost decade-long process beginning with the recruitment of Dr. Thomas Krummel as the Emile Holman Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery in 1998.  Through strategic planning and perseverance, Dr. Krummel took a uni-dimensional department and by both recruitment and innovation turned it into a hot bed for clinical excellence, cutting edge research, and highly regarded educational programs at the undergraduate and graduate level. 

At its core, the Education Institute is a vital part of an ongoing investment by the School of Medicine in both personnel and technology to support immersive and simulation-based learning. Stanford Hospital’s commitment was evident by the provision of almost 1,500 square feet of space for the Goodman Simulation Center in 2006, which is the hub and flagship facility of the Education Institute. The Department of Surgery led the fundraising efforts ($4M) for the design, construction, and completion of the Goodman Simulation Center (GSC) and committed funds to the yearly operation of the Education Institute. The Department’s commitment includes the purchase of a substantial amount of simulation technology, the creation of a Director position to administer activities in the Education Institute, and the provision of protected time for faculty to administer the Education Institute.  With the opening of the Goodman Simulation Center in 2006, all the essentials of the Education Institute were in place. Dr. Krummel applied for and received accreditation as an American College of Surgeons Education Institute after a site visit in March 2007.

The Education Institute of the Department of Surgery at Stanford School of Medicine, of which the Goodman Simulation Center is the centerpiece, is an integral part of the Stanford School of Medicine.  The Department of Surgery faculty, who support and run the Education Institute, also hold leadership positions at Stanford Hospital & Clinics. Dr. Thomas Krummel initially served as the Institute’s director at its inception.  In 2009 he was joined by Dr. Ralph Greco, the Stanford General Surgery Program Director from July 1, 2000 - September 1, 2009, who now serves as the Director of Surgical Programs in the Education Institute.  In November 2011, Dr. James Lau (who had served as the Curriculum Director since November 2009) became the Institute director.  He has been instrumental in re-establishing the General Surgery Residency skills curriculum.

Since the Education Institute’s original accreditation in 2007, we have fine tuned our mission statement: to provide surgeons, surgical residents, medical students, and allied health professionals with the skills necessary to 1) Provide state-of-the-art patient care, 2) Function as adult learners and innovators and 3) Pursue research to help create the future of surgery.