A simulation program created by physicians at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Regional One Health to train healthcare workers to more efficiently handle obstetrical emergencies has helped improve care in Memphis, Shelby County, and now internationally.

The program was founded approximately five years ago by Giancarlo Mari, MD, MBA, FACOG, professor and chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UTHSC, as part of a plan to tackle the county’s high infant mortality rate. It was named OB F.A.S.T. (Obstetrical Feasible Approach to Safety Training) approximately two years ago, and has been used to train more than 500 obstetricians, nurses and residents from 15 states.

Mari and a team from UTHSC and Regional One Health, where he is medical director of the High-Risk Obstetrics Program, recently took OB F.A.S.T. to one of the top facilities for maternal and child health in China. During the trip, the team instructed healthcare workers from 36 hospitals in the province, who will then train other healthcare workers across the country.

 “For us, it is great, but it’s what you’d expect from an academic institution -- to excel, not only internally, but internationally,” Mari said. “We work for UTHSC, for Regional One Health, for Shelby County. And now, the names of our department, the hospital, and the university go around the world.”