[An expanded simulation center at the University of Cincinnati replicates the challenging environments of “en route” medical care for the training of US Air Force medical personnel. This story from the Cincinnati Enquirer via Yahoo! News, provides some of the details. Excerpts from the UC Health press release follow, and a 2:52 minute video report from Spectrum News is also available. –Matthew]

[Image: Source: UC Health]

Saving soldiers in virtual reality, UC Health opens training center

By Cameron Knight
March 12, 2026

For a moment on March 11, a room on the bottom floor of one of UC Health’s buildings in Clifton was likely the safest place in the world to suffer a traumatic injury. The room was packed with dozens of Air Force doctors and nurses as well as UC staff for the opening of the Darrio Simulation Center.

A patient here would have been very well cared for.

The new simulation center will allow Air Force personnel to train to save patients under the most stressful conditions possible next to actual combat. There’s an emphasis on “en route” care, which in the Air Force means treating people in a flying ICU.

The simulation rooms can mimic the sound, the wind and even the smells experienced in the back of a military transport aircraft or a desert in Afghanistan. And the training sessions are monitored with dozens of cameras from a control room. Every move is documented.

UC Health and the Air Force have partnered to train combat-ready medical staff for the past 23 years, but the skills learned through the partnership translate back to civilian trauma care and preparedness for a mass casualty event.

Col. Dr. Valerie Sams is the director of the training program commonly called C-Stars, the Center for Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills.

“We can replicate mass casualty events, complex multisystem injuries, air medical evacuations under pressure, which is important under pressure, and coordinated disaster responses,” Sams said. “We can stress systems, we can test decision making, and we can refine leadership under crisis conditions. Real emergencies are chaotic.”

Inside one of the simulators, the walls can become any environment. There’s space to create a full room with obstacles and shadowy areas to challenge the trainees. Smoke can even be blown into the room to create a more immersive environment.

UC Health President and CEO Cory Shaw said about 300 teams a year will come through the center to train. There are crews working in Iran right now that have been through C-Stars. The new center is 30,000 square feet and was built with $10 million granted from Congress.

Brig. General Robert Bogart was on hand at the grand opening of the simulation center. He explained that the Darrio stands for “dynamic and realistic research with immersive operations,” but it is also meant to honor Chief Master Sergeant Dario Rodriguez. Bogart said he was the first respiratory therapist at Cincinnati’s C-Stars and then the superintendent that helped lead the organization.

Rodriguez died in 2022. His family attended the March 11 event.

Chief Master Sergeant James Woods, a respiratory therapist, was a C-Stars student in 2010 and then taught the program from 2012 to 2016. He said the center will allow for medical staff to be even more prepared before they “go downrange.”

He said the course is constantly evolving and changing.

“They talk to the other teams that are actually transporting patients and they have a debrief,” Woods said. “What went good? What went bad? What can we bring back to teach to the people before they actually go out the door?” And it’s constantly changing based on what type of weapons you’re using and injury patterns.”

Woods, who has 26 years in the Air Force, said he loves the work.

“If I didn’t have this opportunity as a young airman, I probably wouldn’t have stayed in, probably would have done 4 years and got out,” he said. “I found my ‘why’ early on and then got to do it, either deployment or being here teaching it. It’s extremely rewarding.”

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[From the UC Health]

UC Health and U.S. Air Force Unveil Expanded C-STARS Simulation Center

Mar. 11, 2026

Cincinnati, OH – UC Health and the U.S. Air Force announced the grand opening of the expanded Center for Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills (C-STARS) Simulation Center at UC Health.

The new, state-of-the-art, 30,000-square-foot facility represents the next generation of military and civilian trauma training, significantly advancing medical readiness, response, and research on a global scale.

The $10 million expansion, developed in partnership with the 711th Human Performance Wing of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), marks a major milestone in preparing Air Force medical teams to deliver lifesaving care in combat zones, humanitarian missions, and complex civilian emergencies, allowing training to expand from 100 teams to 300.

Designed to mirror the realities of modern trauma care, the expanded simulation center includes a fully equipped command center, enhanced education and training suites, dedicated research space, and an immersive virtual reality environment. These capabilities allow Air Force personnel to train in true-to-life operational scenarios, including stabilizing critically injured patients during aeromedical transport.

Key features of the expanded facility include:

• High-fidelity, full-scale simulation technology
• Immersive virtual and augmented reality environments
• Data-informed performance tools that support real-time clinical decision-making
• Configurable spaces replicating battlefield, transport, and hospital settings

[snip]

Building on more than two decades of collaboration between UC Health and the U.S. Air Force, the expanded simulation center will be the most advanced C-STARS facility worldwide. The enhancements ensure Air Force Critical Care Air Transport (CCAT) teams are fully prepared to care for the most critically injured patients in austere, high-stress and rapidly evolving environments.

“UC Health, in partnership with the U.S. Air Force, is setting the standard for readiness, response and resilience through what will become the most impactful C-STARS simulation center in the world,” said Col. Valerie Sams, MD, director of C-STARS Cincinnati, U.S. Air Force, and trauma surgeon at UC Medical Center. “Together, we are ensuring the lessons learned here save lives — on the battlefield and at home.”

In addition to its advanced training mission, the expanded CSTARS Simulation Center will serve as a national hub for operationally relevant, data driven research that accelerates innovation across the en route care continuum. The center’s dedicated research infrastructure enables researchers and clinicians to rigorously evaluate new medical technologies, autonomous systems and care models under realistic operational conditions.

[Snip]

Established in 2002, C-STARS Cincinnati, part of the UC Institute for Military Medicine within the Department of Surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, has trained more than 5,000 Air Force medical professionals.

[snip to end]