This project builds on an established academic partnership between UCLA and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Narendra Modi Medical College (NMMC), guided by a collaborative needs assessment conducted in 2024 that identified obstetric emergency preparedness and simulation-based training as a priority for the site. As a resident member of the inaugural UCLA global health team that traveled to Ahmedabad in March 2025, I am part of a partnership intentionally structured to support longitudinal collaboration, with the shared goal of embedding simulation-based education into routine postgraduate training at NMMC.
Following the inaugural visit, our team began advancing this shared priority by developing a sustainable, low-cost obstetric emergency simulation program at the high-volume public teaching hospital in Ahmedabad, India. During the initial visit, we facilitated a hands-on shoulder dystocia simulation and observed strong trainee engagement alongside a clear gap in structured emergency preparedness training.
In partnership with local obstetric faculty and residents, we plan to continue to provide scenario-based simulation workshops focused on reducing maternal morbidity and mortality at NMMC. Future workshops include a shoulder dystocia refresher, postpartum hemorrhage, and obstetric trauma.
A central component of this initiative is a train-the-trainer model that promotes sustainability and eventual local ownership. Through future site visits and ongoing remote collaboration, we will support local faculty and residents in becoming simulation facilitators capable of independently leading these workshops.
By strengthening early recognition, team communication, and timely implementation of evidence-based interventions, this collaborative program aims to improve frontline preparedness and reduce preventable maternal complications in resource-limited, high-volume settings.
This project is designed to strengthen obstetric emergency care at Narendra Modi Medical College (NMMC) by supporting the clinicians who provide frontline maternity services and, in turn, improve outcomes for the patients and families they care for. As a high-volume public teaching hospital, NMMC manages a large number of medically complex obstetric cases in resource-limited settings, making effective emergency preparedness especially critical.
As first responders during obstetric emergencies, resident trainees should be equipped with practicing evidence-based interventions through simulations to better care for their patients when an emergency occurs. As the needs assessment showed, residents had very few opportunities to practice these rare but life-threatening events. By emphasizing simulation-based training, trainees will be able to practice team communication, build on technical skills in addressing obstetric emergencies and help build their confidence and readiness for future emergencies.
Similarly, faculty members will also benefit through participation in a train-the-trainer model that emphasizes ongoing teaching for future residents who train at this site. Sustainable integration of simulation-based education is the primary goal of our partnership.
The obstetric population of Ahmedabad stands to benefit significantly from this project as well. As a centrally located public hospital with more than 10,000 deliveries annually, Narendra Modi Medical College serves a large, medically complex, and often underserved population with limited access to timely obstetric care. By improving the preparedness among providers responding to obstetric emergencies, this project advances safer childbirth while reinforcing NMMC’s role as an equitable safety-net institution for women and families across Ahmedabad.
This intervention is expected to have a meaningful and lasting impact on the quality and safety of obstetric care at Narendra Modi Medical College. By strengthening clinicians’ ability to recognize and manage obstetric emergencies through simulation-based training, the program will improve technical performance, clinical decision-making, leadership, and team communication during high-risk events. These improvements are anticipated to result in faster initiation of evidence-based interventions, more coordinated team responses, and fewer preventable complications, contributing to reductions in maternal morbidity and mortality in a high-volume, resource-limited setting.
Sustainability is a central focus of this initiative. The program is intentionally designed around a train-the-trainer model that equips local faculty and trainees with the skills needed to independently facilitate simulation sessions, adapt scenarios to local needs, and mentor future learners. Simulation curricula and teaching materials will be integrated into existing postgraduate training structures to ensure continuity beyond the duration of the partnership. UCLA also plans to continue to collaborate virtually with NMMC between our visits to share best practices, offer follow up teaching sessions, and plan future projects together.
We will evaluate the impact of our interventions by conducting pre and post assessments of our project to ensure the partnership remains mutually educational. Through simulation based teaching we hope to continue to build on the NMMC’s institutional framework to strengthen skills around obstetric emergencies, promote a culture of preparedness and patient safety, and enable continued impact long after our team has departed.
We presented two simulation sessions on management of shoulder dystocia and postpartum AFE to OBGYN residents at Narendra Modi Medical College in Ahmedabad, India.
