UDA’s New simLAB Gives Future Doctors A Hospital-Style Training Space

The Universidad del Azuay has presented a new medical simulation center for students, and it is the kind of quiet local investment that can matter over time.

The simLAB Learning Space UDA is designed for medical training, with clinical scenarios that let students practice procedures, teamwork, and decision-making before direct contact with patients.

What Is Inside

The center has about 880 square meters in total, with roughly 220 square meters on each floor. Its equipment includes 220 simulators across 60 different types.

The simulators are grouped into three levels:

• Low fidelity: manual practice on anatomical models
• Medium fidelity: software-based heart, lung, and clinical-sign simulation
• High fidelity: robotic systems that simulate vital signs, medication responses, clinical maneuvers, and physiological changes

Francisco Salgado, rector of UDA, said medical education is moving beyond content transmission toward clinical problem-solving, teamwork, and decision-making in hospital-like settings.

Why It Matters

The center has been operating since August 25, 2025 and was officially inaugurated in April 2026. Marco Palacios, dean of the Faculty of Medicine, said the goal is to prepare doctors for the country’s main causes of illness and mortality while keeping prevention and health promotion in view.

UDA also says the project involved nearly two years of faculty preparation and draws on a relationship with Sweden’s Karolinska Institute that has lasted more than a decade.

For Cuenca residents, this is not an immediate change at the clinic window. It is more of a local healthcare pipeline story: how future doctors are being trained before they enter hospitals and health centers.