Avein Saaty-Tafoya, the 2014 Changemaker Award recipient, is an inspirational leader with 32 years of healthcare experience providing leadership and advocating for healthcare equity in primary care, hospitals, health plans, public and community health. As an artist and humanitarian, her mission is to improve the health of the underserved through 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.