By Kat Procyk
Photography by Rayni Shiring, University of Pittsburgh
The Winter Institute for Simulation, Education and Research (WISER) at Alan Magee Scaife Hall, home of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, is now fully operational on the building’s third floor as of June 1, 2026. WISER at Scaife will be the most advanced and comprehensive simulation space for WISER, a world-class medical simulation training facility established in 1994. Complementing its 11 satellite centers, the new space continues WISER’s legacy of pioneering cutting-edge simulation technology to advance medical education at Pitt.
WISER at Scaife focuses on advanced, critical care learning and has fully simulated surgical, emergency rooms and intensive care united rooms in addition to simulation labs. These rooms are bigger than their real-world counterparts to accommodate instructors, students and visitors. The new space also features virtual and augmented reality for surgical and ultrasound training, including a laparoscopic surgery simulator that lets students feel the tension of surgical tools grabbing on to body tissue and warns of “organ damage” if they grab them the wrong way.
The only things that aren’t real are the patients. One manikin, dressed in a hospital gown, with gray hair and affectionately named “Vivian,” lies in a bed as her soft and veined skin is often poked and prodded by students learning to insert IVs or perform small procedures. “Vivian,” even with her expressive eyes and realistic facial expression, is considered a budget model, but highly durable. Some of the others, which can cost upwards of $130,000, have palpable heart beats and lung sounds, can breathe, talk, react to medications and are used more sparingly to preserve their longevity.
“In the simulation learning environment, students move beyond book knowledge and didactic instruction,” said Paul Phrampus, professor of emergency medicine and of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine, School of Medicine, and director, WISER. “Simulation allows us to see knowledge in motion and how learners translate what they’ve studied into real, hands-on care. It serves as a bridge between the classroom and the clinical setting, giving students the chance to practice bringing care to the bedside before they ever meet their first patient.”
Simulation lessons at WISER have been part of medical students’ training for years at WISER’s headquarters on McKee Place, about a quarter of a mile from the medical school. But Phrampus said even those few blocks presented a logistical challenge for medical students doing clinical rotations as well as faculty members who are full-time physicians in hospitals. Opening a dedicated center at Scaife Hall aligned with the School of Medicine’s Three Rivers Curriculum, centered on learner-driven, case-based education, to provide more hands-on training onsite at the medical school.
“Medical students will be ready to jump in, work as part of the team and take on an active role in patient care,” Phrampus said. “This is a place where they can make mistakes and learn from them, so when they’re out there in real clinical settings, they can take on even more responsibility.”
WISER at Scaife also conveniently shares the same floor as the Standardized/Simulated Patient (SP) Program, purposely adding a human element to care in an otherwise simulated setting.
“We’ve been working with the SP Program for many years, but the relationship has largely operated as a vendor setup,” Phrampus said. With both WISER and the SP Program in Scaife Hall, “it opens the door for richer scenarios,” he noted. “Students can move from a trauma case in the operating room right into the debriefing space where standardized patients are portraying family members. Students can be coached, observed and then try again. It makes the whole experience more natural, more integrated and a lot better for deliberate practice.”
Simulation classes require significant preparation and collaboration between the certified employees who program the equipment and prepare the room, known as simulation specialists, the curriculum team and Pitt School of Medicine faculty. In a trauma surgery course, for example, specialized manikins are programmed with injuries and illnesses based on real-life cases provided by the faculty. These manikins can respond to treatment and even speak while being operated remotely by the simulation specialist in a nearby control room.
WISER is one of the few centers globally that received all five accreditations from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare: teaching, assessment, research, systems integration and fellowship. Read more about WISER at Scaife in Pitt Med Magazine.