Johanna Rhodes is a proud nurse with a passion for nursing regulation, education, and simulation-based learning. As a Nurse Adviser, Education at the Nursing Council of New Zealand, she is dedicated to ensuring that nurses are well-prepared to navigate the complexities of contemporary healthcare. Her research focuses on the role of simulation in nursing education, particularly in competency development, regulatory compliance, and the experience of educators assuming simulated patient roles. She examines the dynamic relationship between individual creativity and institutional policy through the lens of coexisting altruistically and egoistically, a theory emerging from her research on educators assuming simulated patient roles. This perspective highlights the balance between personal investment in simulation-based education and institutional ownership, revealing both tensions and opportunities when educators create and leave behind simulated patient characters. A key aspect of Johanna’s work explores the intersection of simulation, intellectual property, and policy, investigating how ownership of simulated patient characters impacts educational continuity and workforce mobility. She advocates for clear regulatory guidelines to sustain simulation practices that honour educators' contributions while upholding institutional integrity. Committed to advancing the immersive and transformative potential of simulation, Johanna champions its role in shaping the future of nursing education, ensuring that regulation, policy, and pedagogy align to develop competent, practice-ready nurses.

Dr Samantha Heath is currently a Senior Lecturer in Nursing at the University of Waikato. During the completion of this research, she worked at Unitec | Te Pūkenga. An experienced nurse educator, Samantha has held teaching positions in Aotearoa New Zealand and the UK. Samantha is passionate about the education of the future healthcare workforce and the influence that excellent preparation for practice has on health outcomes. She is a Fellow of the College of Nurses Aotearoa and a Member of the Royal Society Te Apārangi. Samantha is an MBIE/Te Apārangi Whitinga Fellowship recipient. https://orcid. org/0000-0001-5877-7128

Dr. Katrina Lane-Krebs is a respected researcher and educator specialising in psychosocial wellbeing, focusing on the complex interplay of mental, emotional, physical, and social factors that influence health. Her research is guided by the World Health Organisation’s 2020 global policy for health, emphasising people-centred systems, supportive environments, and resilient communities. Dr. Lane-Krebs’ research has explored critical issues such as gender politics, displacement, discrimination, and the impacts of chronic disease, particularly within marginalised populations. Her work is characterised by a commitment to health equity, ensuring that diverse, minority, and marginalised groups have access to appropriate, culturally sensitive care.

Dr Nicola Straiton is a registered nurse and Senior Research Fellow in Implementation Science at the Nursing Research Institute, a collaboration between St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, and Australian Catholic University. Her research focuses on cardiovascular disease, frailty, implementation science, and digital health. In the two years since completing her PhD, Dr Straiton has secured over $1.3 million in competitive research funding across eight grants, including three as Chief Investigator. She has published 27 papers—60% in the top 10% of their field—with over 320 citations and an h-index of 8. She has delivered 19 invited national and international presentations and received five awards recognising research excellence and leadership. Dr Straiton is committed to advancing evidence translation into clinical practice and building research capacity among clinician researchers.