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Ruchir Puri from UF Health in Jacksonville presented a study exploring the use of virtual humans in a simulated operating room to practice laparoscopic troubleshooting skills. The study, involving 40 general surgery and OB GYN residents divided into groups using scripted virtual humans, hybrid virtual humans, and human confederates, used three types of laparoscopic troubleshooting simulations. The performance across all groups was generally mediocre, indicating the training task’s complexity. However, the similar scores across all groups suggested the feasibility of using virtual humans as effective surrogates for human OR team members. The study concluded that virtual humans offer an innovative, non-threatening environment for trainees to practice essential skills and expose areas for improvement.