The State of the Healthcare Design Industry: Perspectives on Health Equity and Wellness

Host

Avein Saaty-Tafoya, EDAC
Principal, AST Consulting, Member, Board of Directors, The Center for Health Design

Avein Saaty-Tafoya, the 2014 Changemaker Award recipient, is an inspirational leader with 27 years of healthcare experience in primary care, public health, hospitals and health plans, advocating healthcare equality for all. Her mission is to improve the health of the underserved through the patient experience and by addressing the social determinants of health.

While President & CEO of Adelante Healthcare for over 13 years, a Federally Qualified Community Health Center in the Greater Phoenix area, she completed several Pebble ambulatory projects including the first LEED Platinum community health center in the nation in Mesa, AZ in 2012. She became EDAC certified and co-chaired the Center for Health Design's Research Coalition and now serves on the Center's Board of Directors. With her consultancy, she is actively working with health systems to advance the impact of evidence-based design and the patient experience across the country. 

Panelists

Roderic Walton, AIA, NOMA, NCARB
Principal, Moody Nolan, Member, Board of Directors, AIA AAH

Roderic Walton is a licensed architect with 25 years of experience, having practiced in both Ohio and Illinois. The majority of his portfolio is focused on healthcare projects. His approach to practice aligns architecture with advocacy, and utilizes an organizational strategy with structured processes to achieve optimal outcomes that are quantifiable.

Roderic specializes in integrating the needs of clients, patients, families and advocates to provide design solutions that are insightful and compassionate, and that leverage an evidence based design philosophy to achieve positive outcomes that advance care. His publications, presentations, and community engagement strategies are focused on enhancing the experience of patients in under-served and disadvantaged areas across the nation. Roderic holds a Master’s Degree in Architecture and a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Design from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Espy Harper, EDAC, Six Sigma GB
Senior Healthcare Planner, LS3P, Member, IPCD Health Equity Design Collaborative

Espy brings 18 years of specialized expertise in healthcare planning and design. A Six Sigma Green Belt with a Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Esperanza is highly skilled at data analytics, lean design principles, and design thinking in service to leading-edge healing environments. She is well-versed in using her strategic insight as it relates to functional programming, right-sizing of the facility, flexibility, and master planning, and is a frequent presenter on patient-centered design at national conferences.  

Sandy Goodman, IIDA, CHID, LEED AP, EDAC, LSSBB
President, CRGA Design

Sandy Goodman is a Certified Healthcare Interior Designer with nearly 35 years of healthcare design experience. Sandy is the President of CRGA Design, an architecture and interior design firm that specializes in healthcare design. She is currently serving as President-Elect for the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers (AAHID). Sandy has also been recognized for her strong leadership skills as a 2019 Baldrige Executive Fellow. Throughout her career, Sandy has focused on designing caring environments from a human-centric perspective. She strives to support the delivery of care through the design of environments that facilitate the flow of efficient processes in a patient-centered environment that will foster positive outcomes. Her passion for designing healthy built environments is supported by her training in evidence-based design, and she continues to engage in opportunities to broaden the body of knowledge and resources available to healthcare interior designers.

Marjorie Serrano, MArch, BSN
Registered Architect, Retired APRN (PNP), Owner, Architect, Clinical Consultant, Health Environment Innovations (HEI), Member, NIHD

Marjorie is a licensed architect and recently retired nurse practitioner focusing on healthcare facility planning and design. After many years in nursing, Marjorie earned a Master of Architecture in 2005. Involved in the design of large and small hospital campuses, she learned that the involvement of patients, families, and front-line staff is essential to the success of each healthcare project. Experience as a clinician, manager, consultant and design architect give her a unique perspective to communicate with all stakeholders.

Marjorie’s architectural practice includes clinical consulting, facility and operational assessment, and design. She teaches creative problem-solving techniques (Design-Thinking) to assist groups in developing and reaching their goals. Recent projects include programming of an 80-bed community hospital, goal/strategy development with team building for a large social service agency, and efforts to promote diversity/equity and combat racism.

Beth Melchi, AMFP
Director Business Development-National Healthcare, BOLDT Build Boldly, National Membership Chair

Beth joined Boldt to lead the business development efforts for our national healthcare group and provide unique owner-side perspective. She is an experienced healthcare leader who brings vast experience working in a clinical setting to aid our project teams in deeply understanding the needs and concerns of our healthcare clients.  

She is skilled in engaging teams to provide the highest quality of customer care and service while being effective in managing costs. A record of success in helping organizations in the development and implementation of strategies that engage providers and staff, resulting in world class care. An impressive record of reduction in waste specific to purchasing, operational overhead and hospital and office practice operations.