Gwynedd Mercy University’s Frances M. Maguire ’55 Healthcare Innovation Center will house the Jie Du, PhD Healthcare Innovation Commons when it opens later this year, university officials said.

The two-floor atrium, with gathering places for students and faculty, is made possible thanks to a generous $1 million gift from Dr. Jie Du to support the University’s Mercy in Motion Campaign.

Dr. Du, former pharmaceutical scientist and founder of JDP Therapeutics, sold her company to focus on her philanthropic efforts. After giving back to her alma mater, the University of the Pacific, to create the Jie Du Center for Innovation and Excellence for Drug Development, Dr. Du’s philanthropic work led her to GMercyU.

“The key is that Gwynedd Mercy University is local to me, with a well-known nursing and health professions school. I live close by, and I wanted to make an impact in my own community, in healthcare. I also like that GMercyU happens to have a lot of female students. For all of these reasons, I feel a very strong connection to the University,” shared Dr. Du.

Dr. Du served on GMercyU’s President’s Council from 2015 to 2019, and today serves on the University’s Board of Trustees. Read more about Dr. Du’s story here.

Photos: GMU