Escaping Traditional Teaching: A Flexible Escape Room Framework for Nursing and Advanced Practice Education

Webinar title: Escaping Traditional Teaching: A Flexible Escape Room Framework for Nursing and Advanced Practice Education
An overview of the Hebert Healthcare Educational and Learning Escape Room (HHEALER) framework as it has been utilized for an accelerated prelicensure nursing program and advanced practice nursing education. The framework is versatile and applicable to different healthcare professions. This webinar will provide information on the framework and how it has been applied to the gamification of healthcare education. Visual examples will be shared to demonstrate the different types of puzzles.

Speaker: Dr. Danielle Hebert DNP, MBA, ANP-BC
UMass Chan Medical School Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing
Dr. Hebert is an Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP track. She has been in nursing for 29 years, with the last 19 years as a primary care NP. She has been teaching full-time at UMass since 2021. Her research interests include innovative teaching methods, interprofessional education, student and new graduate wellness/burnout/resiliency, and advanced practice transition to practice programs. She has received the 2025 Massachusetts Association of Colleges of Nursing Innovative Teaching Award (with Dr. Malatesta), the 2024 Tan Chingfen Faculty Daisy Award, and the 2023 Tan Chingfen Distinguished Faculty Award.

Speaker: Dr. Thin Malatesta, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor
Dr. Malatesta is an Assistant Professor. She has been teaching full-time in academia since 2022 in medical/surgical and nursing leadership courses. Prior to academia, Dr. Malatesta specialized in adult critical care. Her research interests include nursing education, building community, and simulation. She has implemented Restorative Justice Community Building Circles in a pre-licensure nursing program. She was awarded the 2025 Massachusetts Association of Colleges of Nursing Innovative Teaching Award for the educational escape room with Dr. Hebert.

Speaker: Dr. Rita Amoah, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor
Rita K. Amoah, PhD, RN, is a nurse educator and academic leader at UMass Chan Medical School’s Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing. She serves as the coordinating faculty for Adult Acute/Chronic Conditions clinical and preceptorship courses, supporting students’ transition to practice. Her scholarship advances person-centered, humanizing care and inclusive teaching and learning strategies. Dr. Amoah is a founding member of the Nea Onnim Collaborative and supports a Global Health Exchange between UMass Chan and Ghana’s University of Health and Allied Sciences. She is the 2026 recipient of the Massachusetts Association of Colleges of Nursing Academic Early Career Scholarship Award.

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