September 19, 2024
St. John’s University’s St. Vincent Health Sciences Center has not only altered the landscape of the University’s Queens, NY, campus—it has forever impacted the landscape of New York City health-care education, perhaps for generations to come. The University community, along with honored guests and elected officials, came together on September 18 to bless and dedicate the state-of-the-art facility that opened at the outset of the fall semester.
Cloudy skies prompted University officials to erect a tent in case of rain, but the showers never came. During his introductory remarks, Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., President, thanked God for answering his prayer.
“I want to give a special shout-out to God first, because I thought it was going to rain today. That’s why we have this tent,” he explained. “The Vincentians and I were offering our prayers and supplications—and thank God, we’ve got a lovely day to do it.”
“I’ve been watching this building since it started,” Fr. Shanley recalled. “I’ve occasionally walked through, and when it was finally finished and I visited it, I almost wanted to cry. I was just so happy. This is going to be a tremendous blessing, not only for the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, but also for the entire campus. It gives us a look that we never had before. It came in, not only beautiful, but on time, and much more importantly, under budget,” he added with a grin.
During her introduction, Anne Y. F. Lin ’84P, ’86Pharm.D., FNAP, Dean and Professor, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, noted that the new facility features state-of-the-art classrooms, cutting-edge laboratories, virtual-reality space, and a high-fidelity simulation center. “It is a magnificent addition to the campus and reflects the remarkable generosity of our alumni and St. John’s unwavering commitment to providing students with the highest quality education,” she said.
Construction of the St. Vincent Health Sciences Center was accomplished with a mix of private and public funds, including a $5 million New York State Higher Education Capital Matching Grant, a $700,000 Empire State Development Grant, and $1.25 million from the US Department of Health and Human Services.
More than $20 million in philanthropic support was provided by alumni couple and longtime St. John’s benefactors, Board of Trustees Chair Emeritus Peter P. D’Angelo ’78MBA, ’06HON and Trustee Margaret LaRosa D’Angelo ’70Ed, ’22HON.
The spacious atrium in the building is named in memory of Dorothea “Dorie” Hayes Davatzes’66Ed and Nickolas “Nick” Davatzes ’62C, ’64G, ’95HON, Trustee Emeritus, cable television pioneer, and Chief Executive Officer Emeritus of A+E Television Networks, LLC. In 2022, the Davatzes family made a five-million-dollar commitment to support the University that first brought their parents together as undergraduates 60 years earlier. Geody Davatzes and other members of the Davatzes family were in attendance.
Very Rev. Stephen M. Grozio, C.M., Provincial Superior, Eastern Province of the Congregation of the Mission, delivered the Invocation. He told the assembly that in a series of conferences, St. Vincent de Paul explained the new Common Rules to the Daughters of Charity. They were not only to minister to the bodies of those they served, but to their entire person.
“He said, ‘Never get angry with them, and don’t speak to them harshly; they have enough to put up with because of their illness. Imagine that you are their visible guardian angel, their father and mother. God has made you to be their consolation.’ This last phrase is inscribed on the cornerstone of this building in Latin: Deus vos consolationem eis constituit, meaning God has made you to be their consolation.”
Joseph Mir, a Nursing major who will graduate in 2027, offered student remarks during the event. A native of Flushing, NY, Joseph recalled that during his first visit, the beauty of the Queens campus captivated him. “The location of the University is incredibly meaningful to me. I was drawn to the St. John’s Nursing program because of the impressive reputation of its Pharmacy and Physician Assistant programs. The stories I heard about their successes were truly inspiring.”
He added, “This new facility affirms I made the right decision to come to St. John’s. The physician assistant and nursing skills labs, virtual-reality lab, and simulation center provide cutting-edge environments for us to learn. The advanced technology in these labs will allow us to practice and perfect our skills in a realistic and safe environment.”
Joseph stressed that the new building aids all students in health-care related majors to easily bond and form community, enabling them to better support one another. “All of us in the Nursing program, as well as our peers in other healthcare-related majors, eagerly anticipate the opportunities that this new building will provide. The excitement among my fellow nursing students is palpable, and we are all eager to dive into our studies and make the most of the resources available to us.”
Rev. Aidan R. Rooney, C.M., M.Div., M.Th. ’78NDC, Executive Vice President for Mission, conducted the blessing for the building assisted by President’s Society member Chiyoko Goya, who read a letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians. William J. Janetschek ’84CBA, ’17HON, Chair, Board of Trustees, St. John’s University, and retired Partner and Chief Financial Officer, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P.; Very Rev. Steven M. Grozio, C.M.; and Peter and Margaret D’Angelo and their family joined Dr. Lin, Fr. Shanley, Fr. Rooney, and Simon G. Møller, Ph.D., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, University Distinguished Professor, and Provost Endowed Chair, for the ceremonial ribbon cutting.
Following the ribbon cutting, Mr. Janetschek thanked the D’Angelos for their generosity and all the members of the University community who brought this impressive edifice to life. “Thank you to all who have contributed time, effort, and treasure to this endeavor. I can think of no area of knowledge that better exemplifies the Vincentian mission than health care,” Mr. Janetschek noted.
Mrs. D’Angelo stressed, “Helping people, often in times of greatest need, is what the mission is all about. Therefore, it is only fitting that this building is named in honor of St. Vincent. I hope that everyone here today agrees with that sentiment.”
She explained, “The St. Vincent Health Sciences Center will benefit our students. It will also have far-reaching impact, as the graduates of the new Nursing program, our esteemed Pharmacy program, and the other medical programs that will be housed in this building, go out into our community and our world, armed with the tools to provide compassionate care, up-to-date medical knowledge, and state-of-the-art technological expertise to the many patients they will encounter. I hope the graduates of these health-care programs will be very successful, and will carry with them the Catholic tradition of helping the poor and those in need. I ask them to do well while doing good.”
Junior Nursing major Emma Dergarabedian noted the monumental technological advancement from previous year’s makeshift lab in Lourdes Hall to the current state-of the art facility in St. Vincent, saying, “It’s incredible to have an entire lab space built just like a real hospital, which will prepare me for a real hospital setting in the future.” Emma added, “this facility takes a lot of the nerves away” as she prepares for a future as a front-line worker.
Sunil Kumar ’09GP, ’14Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, said, “The beautiful part about this building is that is gives our PA students a home on campus, as they used to be off campus at the Dr. Andrew J. Bartilucci Center. Walking into the rooms at the new building, you get the feeling that you’re in a hospital. Students are getting the real and raw experience of being in a state-of-the-art building that resembles their future work environment. Nature exists in 3D, and students have access to virtual-reality simulators in labs, so when they walk into a hospital, they won’t even feel the difference.”
“As we all marvel at the beauty of this building and all the technology that is in it, it is important to remember and what is most exciting is what takes place in the building, and what that means beyond the walls of the University,” Dean Lin stressed. “The legacy of the generous contributions of our donors, and the commitment of the University, is not the building. The impact is even beyond just the students who are studying here. The generations of health-care professionals who will graduate and provide compassionate, ethical, quality care will touch the lives of all the patients they will care for. If you think about the thousands of students who will learn here, the number of lives that they will touch is astronomical. That is the legacy that our donors and University will leave. It is that impact for many years to come on communities that makes the dedication of the St. Vincent Health Sciences Center so meaningful.”