Dec. 16, 2025
Wiser than Ever
A new era and location for medical education simulation at Pitt
TOPICS: Education
Look to the Stars
By Strategic Communications
“Oh, that’s creepy,” says a third-year medical student as she watches an advanced manikin’s pupils respond to her phone light during a course at WISER in Alan Magee Scaife Hall. It’s a moment that captures just how far medical simulation has come.
When WISER (the Winter Institute for Simulation, Education and Research)—a collaborative initiative between the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC focused on simulation-based research and training—opened in 1994, it was among the very few simulation centers in existence worldwide.
Nearly three decades later, simulation in medical education and training is considered standard, particularly for residency programs. WISER, headquartered in McKee Place in the Oakland neighborhood, offers training to a wide range of students and professionals at Pitt and UPMC and is still lauded as a world leader in simulation. It’s one of the few centers globally to receive all five accreditations from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare: teaching, assessment, research, systems integration and fellowship.
As WISER grew to include 11 satellite centers across UPMC hospitals, Pitt School of Medicine launched its Three Rivers Curriculum—centered on learner-driven, case-based education. Building on a longstanding partnership in simulation-based training, WISER and the med school designated the third floor of Scaife Hall for advanced simulation courses, aligning with the curriculum’s rollout. What WISER staff learn and use there will eventually be applied to train other health science students and professionals.
“We’ve been ahead of the curve since we’ve started,” says Paul Phrampus, WISER director and professor of emergency medicine and of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine, School of Medicine. “However, in the last five or so years, the curve is starting to catch up—nearly every medical school or health sciences program has access to this technology now. Establishing a presence in Scaife Hall is that necessary step to keep us and our future health care professionals ahead.”
The first phase of WISER in Scaife opened in early 2024 and focused on integrating the new curriculum with advanced technology with ultrasound and patient-type rooms. The new center is adjacent to the School of Medicine’s Standardized Patient Program, which uses trained community members to role-play realistic patient scenarios so that students get hands-on experience in communication and physical examination skills in a safe and controlled environment.
In essence, the third floor of Scaife will operate as a miniature hospital and coincide with clinical rotations for Pitt medical students. The difference, however, is that students can make mistakes without life-or-death consequences.
The second phase—under construction and, for now, reserved for courses offered to Pitt medical students—will focus on advanced, critical care learning and opening fully simulated ICU, surgical and emergency rooms and more simulation labs. These rooms will be bigger than their real-world counterparts to accommodate instructors, students and visitors, including alumni, who want to observe courses in action. The new space will feature virtual and augmented reality technology for surgical training, with flexible areas that can be transformed into family waiting rooms or meeting spaces as needed. The space was designed in part by consultations with practicing physicians and faculty. All tools and medical equipment are real—just not the patients. It’ll be the most advanced and comprehensive simulation space that WISER offers.
In essence, the third flood of Scaife will operate as a miniature hospital and coincide with clinical rotations for Pitt medical students. The difference, however, is that students can make mistakes without life-or-death consequences.
“The idea, essentially, is to prepare them as much as possible before interacting with actual patients and their families as well as hospital staff,” says Thomas Dongilli, WISER’s operations director.
According to Dongilli, phase two brings a “golden opportunity” to introduce more hybrid simulations, mostly in the emergency rooms. A standardized patient, for example, can act as someone having chest pains, labor contractions or needing a cut sutured—conditions that can be simulated with some nifty tech. Most critical emergencies can also be replicated using state-of-the-art manikins already available in Scaife. In addition to “treating” such cases, students can also practice delivering news to family members or interacting with an operating room nurse or attending physician—roles that would be assumed by actors or, in some cases, actual health care workers.
WISER at Scaife Hall is expected to be fully operational by May 2026 and will develop more courses as it evolves with the new curriculum.