Kaitlyn Hughes | news editor

Duquesne hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday for the new Joanne Barkett Conway Simulation Center. A $4 million donation from Bedford Falls Foundation funded the simulation lab.

The foundation was established by philanthropist Bill Conway Jr. and his wife Joanne Barkett Conway.

Conway has become a leading champion of nursing education with significant philanthropic contributions to the nursing workforce, according to a news release.

“It’s so clear that there is a need, whether it’s because of the burnout that nurses have, the growing aging population or the wonderful reputations that nurses have because of the wonderful job that they do,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for about 15 years, and I get enormous satisfaction from seeing the difference that the nurses make.”

The simulation center includes advanced simulation bays and a fully equipped operating room suite that will be utilized by critical care nurses who are graduate students in Duquesne’s Nurse Anesthesia program, according to a news release.

The simulation center also features high-fidelity mannequins and integrated video and audio systems that allow faculty to recreate clinical scenarios.

It will be open to students training in advanced practice nursing, disability health care and forensic nursing.

“In the classroom, we talk about procedures, different conditions and skills. What’s great about this Simulation Center is that here, we can actually practice them,” explained Dr. Michael Neft, clinical professor and director of nurse anesthesia studies at Duquesne. “This is a safe space, students can make mistakes and learn from them, and nobody gets hurt.”

Mary Ellen Glasgow, dean of nursing, said Conway’s investments have enabled the university to expand capacity and prepare “highly skilled nurses.”

A previous $2.5 million gift established scholarships for students enrolled in the School of Nursing’s accelerated Second-Degree BSN undergraduate programs — helping more than 125 graduates enter the profession, according to the news release. A Conway Innovation Challenge grant helped increase the number of full-time nursing faculty at Duquesne, and the foundation provided funding to add a second academic support coach to the school’s nursing staff.

The 8,600-square-foot training facility located in Fisher Hall started construction in May.

Kaitlyn Hughes can be reached at hughesk10@duq.edu