Photo: Delivered by Kimmel Bogrette Architects, McHugh Engineering Associates, Bohler and Irwin & Leighton, the $23.5 million Frances M. Maguire ’55 Healthcare Innovation Center represents the largest academic facility on the Gwynedd Mercy University campus. | Photo Credit (all): Courtesy of Gwynedd Mercy University
By Lindsey Coulter
GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa. — Gwynedd Mercy University has officially opened the Frances M. Maguire ’55 Healthcare Innovation Center (HIC), a 63,000-square-foot academic facility designed to redefine healthcare education through advanced simulation, interdisciplinary collaboration and sustainable design. Conceived as the centerpiece of the Frances M. Maguire Healthcare Innovation Campus, the building reflects the university’s commitment to preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals in the Mercy tradition.
Designed by Kimmel Bogrette Architects with MEP engineering by McHugh Engineering Associates and civil engineering by Bohler, the $23.5 million project represents the largest academic facility on the Gwynedd Mercy University campus. Irwin & Leighton served as construction manager, delivering the project through a design and construction timeline that spanned from September 2023 to August 2025. The state-of-the-market facility opened to students this fall.
“For more than 70 years, GMercyU has distinguished itself as a leader in preparing healthcare professionals who combine clinical excellence with genuine compassion,” said Deanne H. D’Emilio, JD, president of GMercyU. “With the opening of the Frances M. Maguire Healthcare Innovation Center, we are extending that legacy and positioning our students to meet today’s workforce demands and shape tomorrow’s care.”
The new facility includes nine skills labs and 15 simulation rooms, among them The Windmill Foundation™ Nurses’ Station, exam rooms for maternity, pediatric, and general patient care, ICU and hospital room replicas, and home-care studio settings. The Frances Cannata Stimmler ’66 and Joseph Stimmler Inspiration Station serves as a flexible space for large-scale simulation events and community collaboration, while the Jie Du, PhD Healthcare Innovation Commons provides a two-story atrium for interdisciplinary learning and engagement.
Advanced technologies include a Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Teaching (VERT) system, an ASL-5000 lung simulator, and high-fidelity simulation manikins. These tools enable realistic, hands-on training that bridges classroom learning and real-world healthcare environments.
“The HIC is a model for how healthcare education should be delivered,” said Dr. Jane Tang, dean of the Frances M. Maguire College of Nursing and Health Professions. “Our students are learning in environments that mirror real-world practice, where teamwork, technology, and compassion come together to respond to the needs of their communities and improve patient outcomes.”
The center is also designed to foster interprofessional education by bringing together students from nursing, respiratory care, psychology, social work, computer information science, and other disciplines. This integrated approach reflects GMercyU’s strategy to address workforce shortages and prepare graduates to provide whole-patient care in complex healthcare settings.
The Frances M. Maguire Healthcare Innovation Center strengthens the university’s Compassionate Care Collaborative, a partnership with healthcare systems, providers, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs to expand the regional healthcare talent pipeline. The initiative focuses on developing programs that address emerging needs such as telehealth, behavioral health, and integrated care, as well as exploring applications of artificial intelligence to improve patient equity and access.
“The opening of the HIC is a milestone for Gwynedd Mercy University and a tribute to the life and legacy of our beloved alumna, Frannie Maguire,” D’Emilio said. “It represents our vision for the future of healthcare education — one rooted in the Mercy tradition — and focused on preparing students to grow as professionals who address the healthcare needs of today and tomorrow with precision and compassion, always with a focus on improving equity and access for all.”
Made possible by a $10 million gift from the Maguire Foundation, the project underscores GMercyU’s dedication to innovation in healthcare education and its mission to serve the region’s growing workforce needs. The HIC stands as both a technological and educational cornerstone — and a testament to the Mercy values that continue to shape the university’s legacy.