When the Frances M. Maguire ’55 Healthcare Innovation Center opens later this year at Gwynedd Mercy University, it will house the Jie Du, Ph.D. Healthcare Innovation Commons, an airy and spacious two-floor atrium featuring gathering spots for students and faculty, thanks to a $1 million gift from Dr. Jie Du.
Dr. Du is a former pharmaceutical scientist turned entrepreneur, executive, and philanthropist, who founded and later sold her company, Blue Bell-based JDP Therapeutics.
The acquisition of her company enabled her to focus on philanthropy, first giving back to her alma mater, the University of the Pacific, to create the Jie Du Center for Innovation and Excellence for Drug Development, and then to GMercyU.
“The key is that Gwynedd Mercy University is local to me, with a well-known nursing and health professions school,” said Dr. Du. “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.”
Inspiring Future Changemakers in Healthcare
Dr. Du’s journey to Gwynedd Valley began halfway around the world, in China, where she was born, raised, and attended medical school. As she was graduating from college in the late 1980s, the country was just beginning to loosen its restrictions about who could come and go.
“I saw some older students moving to America to pursue further education,” she said. “That’s what inspired me, but with the language barrier and other challenges like immigration and work visa, I decided to enroll in the Ph.D. program of the University of the Pacific’s School of Pharmacy, which enabled me to come to the U.S. under the student visa.”
Dr. Du launched her career in the pharmaceutical industry as a research scientist once she earned her Ph.D. She worked for Abbott Laboratories, Merck, and others.
After nearly 15 years in the industry, she saw an opportunity to create a drug with a significant market need. She founded JDP Therapeutics and invented, developed, and eventually gained FDA approval for the company’s lead product, an antihistamine IV injection for the treatment of acute allergic reactions, mainly used in hospitals and oncology clinics.
She served as the company’s CEO and founder until its acquisition in 2019. Soon after, she received awards like the Greater Philadelphia Minority Business Leader Award and the Women of Distinction Award.
Around that time, Dr. Du was introduced to GMercyU and served on its President’s Council from 2015 to 2019. Today, she serves on GMercyU’s Board of Trustees.
As part of GMercyU’s 75th Anniversary celebration in fall 2023, she was a featured panelist at “Women in Leadership: Meeting the Next Great Need Through Innovation and a Growth Mindset.”
At the event, she shared the challenges she encountered with finding a skilled business partner, securing the funding she needed to launch her company, and seeking FDA approval for the drug.
“Dr. Du’s story of moving to America and meeting the challenges she encountered along the way to achieving her goals reminds me of the tenacity of the Sisters of Mercy and their ability to get things done, no matter the circumstances,” said GMercyU President Deanne D’Emilio. “We’re incredibly grateful for her time and wisdom as a member of our Board of Trustees, as well as her generosity toward the creation of our new home for future changemakers in healthcare.”
Learn more about how Gwynedd Mercy University is preparing students to address the healthcare needs of today and tomorrow, with the goal of improving access and equity for all.
