On today’s episode, Cheryl interviews Gina Chang, AIA, EDAC, Principal and Healthcare architect at CO Architects. Cheryl asks Gina the question, “What is the collaborative workplace in healthcare that we see coming out of healthcare and why is it so important right now?”  Gina shares, “For so long we’ve been focused on the patients and their families which is very important. The staff is also part of the healing machine of the hospital. Human centered design focuses on humans and these humans...

In Part 1 of today’s episode, Cheryl speaks with Roderic Walton, AIA, NOMA, NCARB; Principal at Moody Nolan - the nation’s largest African American architecture firm. Cheryl and Roderic dive deep into the topic of race in healthcare and architecture. Cheryl asks Roderic what it’s like to work for the nation’s largest African American architecture firm. Roderic shares, “My individual performance is often represented as that of the entire African American community by so many people that I...

In part 2 of Cheryl’s engaging interview with Roderic Walton, AIA, NOMA, NCARB, Principal at Moody Nolan, Cheryl asks Roderic the question, “When thinking about the future, how can healthcare design and architecture professionals begin to change entrenched systems that are the source of some of these race-related problems?” Roderic shares, “The solution starts with an understanding that it’s not just about individual folks solving their own problems, picking themselves up by their bootstraps...

In Part 1 of today’s episode, host Cheryl Janis speaks with Sharon Woodworth, FAIA ACHA EDAC LEED, Studio Leader National Healthcare Practice at HED, about Sharon’s vast and prolific career in healthcare. Sharon is both a practicing healthcare architect shaping her practice at HED into a national firm, and an associate professor at UCSF teaching healthcare architecture to physicians and nurses who want to be a CEO in healthcare. Sharon is also a Regent for the American College of Healthcare...

In part 2 of today’s episode, Cheryl continues her fascinating conversation with Sharon Woodworth, FAIA ACHA EDAC LEED; Studio Leader National Healthcare Practice at HED. They dive deeper into Sharon’s vast and prolific career in healthcare. Sharon is both a practicing healthcare architect shaping her practice at HED into a national firm, and she is an associate professor at UCSF teaching healthcare architecture to physicians and nurses who want to be a CEO in healthcare. Sharon is also a...

On today’s episode, Cheryl interviews Margi Kaminski, ASID, NCIDQ, Director of Health Interiors at the prestigious CannonDesign. Cheryl asks Margi the question, “What was it like to go from being the “boss” of your small firm Quarters Designs for Living Spaces,  to working for the larger more prestigious firms like those you have worked at throughout your career?” Margi’s answer to this question was deeply rich and insightful. Lean in and listen to Margi Kaminski’s story about what it was...

In today’s episode, Cheryl speaks with Barbara Best-Santos, Principal of ForrestPerkins--a Perkins Eastman company. During their conversation, Cheryl asks Barbara the question, “How does having the kind of design expertise and experience in hospitality help you in your healthcare design projects?” To give you a little background, for 20 years Barbara Best-Santos has led the design of boutique and large-scale hotels, spas, restaurants, and resorts! Barbara’s answer was inspiring. She shares,...

In today’s episode, Cheryl speaks with Jason Haim, AIA, DBIA, LEED, AP, Executive Director and Managing Principal of Perkins Eastman’s L.A. studio. During their conversation, Cheryl asked Jason the question, “What are the Solarium Living Rooms you designed at MarinHealth in Marin, California, and how did you come up with the idea?” Jason shares, “When I was caring for my mother in the hospital, they always wanted her to get up and move around. And these corridors were a horrible experience....

On today’s episode, Cheryl interviews Holly Harris, Architect, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD-C at SmithGroup. Holly, at age 28, holds the honor of being our youngest guest on the show to date, and she shares her perspective on healthcare architecture and design in today’s world.  Cheryl asks Holly the question, “Many interior design and interior architect students have been known to shy away from specializing in healthcare because they see it as unsexy and boring. What do you say to that and what...

Jenny Hastings, Principal at Boulder Associates Architects is Cheryl’s guest today on the podcast. Cheryl asks Jenny the question, “How has the pandemic affected Lean Management Practices in your firm?” Jenny begins, “We have projects that are speeding up, some that are slowing down. Some projects that will go on hold one week and then pick up the next, and I hear this from friends at other firms.” Learn more about Lean Management philosophies and trying to work smarter and more efficiently...

Alanna M. Carter, LEED AP Principal, Practice Group Lead at HGA is Cheryl’s guest today on the podcast. Cheryl asks Alanna the question, “How have you and your team responded to the pandemic and what’s happening now within your firm?” Alanna took a breath and shared, “It’s interesting as leaders. I don’t think any of us could have realized how we were going to have to navigate through that [pandemic + social unrest in Minneapolis] and then our healthcare clients who were in the middle of...

In Part 1 of today’s episode, Cheryl Janis speaks with Joshua Theodore, Vice President and Global Health Practice Leader at Leo A. Daly. During the first months of the pandemic, what other facilities, aside from hospitals, were used as surge spaces? Joshua begins, “The US Army of Corps Engineers designated 17 alternate care facilities for surge capacity, and one of those was the Javits Center in New York City. If and when they are demolished, we are going to have a lot of extra product; $700...

In part 2 of Cheryl’s interview with Joshua Theodore, Vice President and Global Health Practice Leader at Leo A. Daly, Cheryl asks Joshua about Work Well---a new project, and new technology coming out of Leo A. Daly and their industry partners, to help fight COVID-19. Joshua shares, “Work Well started out as a 2 x 4 foot stick-built wood approach to scanning people as they come onboard. People pass through an entry door and the exit door, and there is a green and red light. If you get a green...

Mary-Jean Eastman, FAIA, MRAIC, Co-Founder & Vice-Chair of Perkins Eastman is Cheryl’s guest today on the podcast. Today, women lead the majority of Perkins-Eastman offices and studios. However, it wasn’t always that way. When Mary-Jean Eastman entered architecture school in 1966, fewer than 10 percent of her classmates were women. What was that time like for Mary-Jean and how have women in architecture evolved to the more prominent leadership role they enjoy today at the firm and beyond?...

In Part 2 of Cheryl’s interview with Mary-Jean Eastman, Co-Founder & Vice-Chair of Perkins Eastman, Cheryl asks Mary-Jean to describe her firm’s work with Memorial Sloan Kettering. “Memorial Sloan Kettering is one of the oldest and largest cancer centers in the world,” Mary-Jean begins. “When we started working with them, the mandate was to take an institution that was very much focused on research and make it a leader in patient centered care.” Learn more about the details of this...

On Part 1 of today’s episode, Cheryl speaks with Lesa Lorusso,  PhD, MBA, Allied AIA, ASID, RID, NCIDQ, and Healthcare Director of Research and Innovation at Gresham Smith, on the firm’s new patent-pending empathic design technology. “The Empathic Design Tool” measures emotional responses of people reacting to the built environment. Lesa shares, “We have an innovation incubator within Gresham Smith we call “Studio X.” Mike Sewell, our Active Transportation Service Line Leader created The...

In the second half of Cheryl’s conversation today with Lesa Lorusso, PhD, MBA, Allied AIA, ASID, RID, NCIDQ, and Healthcare Director of Research & Innovation at Gresham Smith, they discuss Lesa’s research project, “Investigating the Impact of Multisensory Environments on Behavior for Veterans with Dementia.” Lesa shares, “That research project was a labor of the heart. I was fortunate at the University of Florida to be a part of an AIA sponsored research consortium called, ‘Vital By...

Jennifer Aliber, Principal at Shepley Bulfinch, a national architecture firm known to challenge convention, pioneer visionary design & collaborate with clients is our guest today on the podcast. In part one of today’s episode, Jennifer shares her thoughts on how hospitals and healthcare systems can be better prepared for future pandemic outbreaks in the United States. Jennifer shares, “I’m pretty sure architects are going to be spending a lot of time over the next two years trying to...

In part 2 of Cheryl’s conversation with Jennifer Aliber, Principal at Shepley Bulfinch, Cheryl asks Jennifer, “What specific design changes will we see in the hospital and healthcare setting?” Jennifer begins to answer this question with, “I like to think about anything I don’t like as a patient because I know if I hate it, other people will hate it. This gives us an opportunity to rethink things like standing in line.”  Hear Jennifer’s complete answer to this question and so much more on the...

Diana Spellman, President of Spellman Brady & Company, an award winning interior planning firm specializing in timeless meaningful environments in healthcare, senior living and higher education is our guest today on the podcast. In part one of today’s episode, Diana and Cheryl discuss Spellman & Brady’s initial response to the pandemic. Diana shares, “We immediately created a set of standing weekly meetings and we formed several teams that would address what we, internally, called,...

In part 2 of Cheryl’s interview with Diana Spellman, President of Spellman Brady & Company, their conversation moves to the firm’s design philosophy and how materials and surfaces play a key role in creating S&B’s signature, purposeful and deeply meaningful environments. Diana shares, “Twenty-eight years ago, our philosophy was, ‘How do we create adjunct staff that bridge the gaps between the owners and the architects, and the medical equipment, or the senior living items that need to...

Mary Frazier, AIA, LEED AP, Green Belt and Principal at Ewing Cole is our guest today on the podcast. Mary shares the need for hospital agility and the ability to quickly retool in the face of unforeseen events. She shares, “Initially, we were focused on how quickly we could expand capacity for our hospital partners within institutions themselves by repurposing large spaces such as lobbies or recommissioning rooms that may have been converted to alternate uses over the time.” Learn why...

In part 2 of Cheryl’s interview today with Mary Frazier, AIA, LEED AP, Green Belt and Principal at Ewing Cole, Mary shares new technology that is greatly assisting in the battle against COVID-19 and Hospital Acquired Infections. She shares, “There are things we are seeing that we think have a lot of promise like Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation which we have put into air handlers before and continue to do so. How can we incorporate this technology into a hospital or a clinic so that perhaps...

Rachel Gutter, President of the International WELL Building Institute, on how the IWBI is leading the global movement to transform our buildings, communities and organizations in ways that help people thrive. Rachel shares, “WELL is a certification that we offer for buildings, communities, and now through our Portfolio program for organizations. It is focused on all of the different ways those places and spaces can enhance our comfort, drive improved choices for our health and well being, and...

In part 2 of Cheryl’s interview today with Rachel Gutter, President of the IWBI, they discuss the IWBI’s new Task Force---with more than 250 members---whose goal is to help reduce the health burden of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections in the built environment. Rebecca shares, “There was an unprecedented opportunity and a moral obligation in this crisis and we stood up the Task Force. I am thrilled to report that we had more than 400 volunteers raise their hands to participate, and the...