diff --git a/hnn_core/parallel_backends.py b/hnn_core/parallel_backends.py
index 99318ba79..3f1394efd 100644
--- a/hnn_core/parallel_backends.py
+++ b/hnn_core/parallel_backends.py
@@ -92,22 +92,54 @@ def _get_mpi_env():
     return my_env
 
 
-def spawn_job(parent_comm, command, n_procs, info=None):
-    """Spawn child simulation job from an existing MPI communicator"""
+def spawn_job(command, obj, n_procs, info=None):
+    """Spawn child simulation jobs from an existing MPI communicator
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    command : list of str | str
+        Command to spawn job from new MPI communicator.
+    obj : object
+        The object containing network and other simulation-specific information
+        to broadcast to each child process via MPI.
+    n_procs : int
+        The number of MPI processes to parallelize (by cell, see Neuron
+        documentation) the simulation over.
+    info: mpi4py.MPI.Info | None
+        Appliable only when mpi_comm_spawn is True: an mpi4py.MPI.Info instance
+        that grants the user control over how openMPI configures spawned jobs.
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    child_data : object
+        The data returned by the child process.
+    """
+
+    from mpi4py import MPI
 
     if info is None:
-        subcomm = parent_comm.Spawn('nrniv', args=command,
-                                    maxprocs=n_procs)
+        intercomm = MPI.COMM_SELF.Spawn('nrniv', args=command,
+                                        maxprocs=n_procs)
     else:
-        subcomm = parent_comm.Spawn('nrniv', args=command,
-                                    info=info,
-                                    maxprocs=n_procs)
+        intercomm = MPI.COMM_SELF.Spawn('nrniv', args=command,
+                                        info=info,
+                                        maxprocs=n_procs)
     
-    return subcomm
+    # send Network + sim param objects to each child process
+    intercomm.bcast(obj, root=MPI.ROOT)
+
+    # receive data
+    child_data = intercomm.recv(source=0)
+
+    # close spawned communicator
+    intercomm.Disconnect()
+
+    return child_data
 
 
 def run_subprocess(command, obj, timeout, proc_queue=None, *args, **kwargs):
-    """Run process and communicate with it.
+    """Run simulation process and communicate with it.
+
     Parameters
     ----------
     command : list of str | str
@@ -119,6 +151,7 @@ def run_subprocess(command, obj, timeout, proc_queue=None, *args, **kwargs):
         The number of seconds to wait for a process without output.
     *args, **kwargs : arguments
         Additional arguments to pass to subprocess.Popen.
+
     Returns
     -------
     child_data : object
@@ -621,7 +654,7 @@ def __init__(self, n_procs=None, mpi_cmd='mpiexec', mpi_comm_spawn=False,
         self.mpi_comm_spawn_info = mpi_comm_spawn_info
         self._intracomm = None
         self._selfcomm = None
-        self._child_intercomm = None
+        self._intercomm = None
 
         n_logical_cores = multiprocessing.cpu_count()
         if n_procs is None:
@@ -641,6 +674,7 @@ def __init__(self, n_procs=None, mpi_cmd='mpiexec', mpi_comm_spawn=False,
         hyperthreading = False
 
         if _has_mpi4py() and _has_psutil():
+            from mpi4py import MPI
             import psutil
 
             n_physical_cores = psutil.cpu_count(logical=False)
@@ -659,14 +693,7 @@ def __init__(self, n_procs=None, mpi_cmd='mpiexec', mpi_comm_spawn=False,
             warn(f'{packages} not installed. Will run on single processor')
             self.n_procs = 1
 
-        self.command = 'nrniv -python -mpi -nobanner ' + \
-            sys.executable + ' ' + \
-            os.path.join(os.path.dirname(sys.modules[__name__].__file__),
-                         'mpi_child.py')
-
-        if self.mpi_comm_spawn and _has_mpi4py():
-            from mpi4py import MPI
-
+        if self.mpi_comm_spawn:
             self._intracomm = MPI.COMM_WORLD
             self._selfcomm = MPI.COMM_SELF
             if self._intracomm.Get_rank() != 0:
@@ -750,17 +777,19 @@ def simulate(self, net, tstop, dt, n_trials, postproc=False):
 
         print("Running %d trials..." % (n_trials))
 
+        sim_objs = [net, tstop, dt, n_trials]
+
         if self.mpi_comm_spawn:
-            self._child_intercomm = spawn_job(
+            sim_data = spawn_job(
                 parent_comm=self._selfcomm,
                 command=self.command,
+                obj=sim_objs,
                 n_procs=self.n_procs,
                 info=self.mpi_comm_spawn_info)
-
         else:
             env = _get_mpi_env()
             self.proc, sim_data = run_subprocess(
-                command=self.command, obj=[net, tstop, dt, n_trials], timeout=30,
+                command=self.command, obj=sim_objs, timeout=30,
                 proc_queue=self.proc_queue, env=env, cwd=os.getcwd(),
                 universal_newlines=True)