SmithGroup at 2026 Healthcare Design Conference + Expo
Join SmithGroup healthcare design experts and thought leaders at the 2026 Healthcare Design Conference + Expo in New Orleans, October 17-20.
From advancing staff well-being and optimizing ambulatory networks to designing resilient hospitals and future-ready healthcare infrastructure, our team will share the research, strategies, and project lessons shaping the future of care delivery.
SmithGroup is also proud to once again be selected as a finalist in Healthcare Design magazine's prestigious Breaking Through competition, underscoring the firm's ongoing commitment to innovation, research, and challenging conventional approaches to healthcare design. The recognition continues a strong legacy within the program, including a winning concept in 2024 and finalist and semifinalist honors in previous years:
- 2024: Decaf Hospital, Competition Winner
- 2022: MediDesis, Semifinalist
- 2020: Fare2Care, Finalist
- 2018: Advanced to the second round of the inaugural competition
This year's robust lineup of presentations continues that spirit of inquiry and innovation, offering attendees practical insights and forward-looking perspectives on the challenges and opportunities shaping healthcare environments today.
We invite you to attend our sessions and connect with our experts throughout the conference.
Friday, October 17 - Monday, October 20
9:45 AM – 10:45 AM | Designing Recovery: A Neuropsychological Based Design Framework to Mitigate Healthcare Worker Burnout
Victoria Villarreal
Led by Victoria Villarreal, Chairperson for the AIA AAH HCD STERIS Student Design Charette, this 38th Annual Student Design Charrette will support and engage with the next generation of healthcare designers as students develop innovative solutions to a design challenge. The event celebrates creativity, collaboration and fresh thinking while providing a platform for future healthcare architects to showcase their ideas and talents.
Sunday, October 18
9:45 AM – 10:45 AM | Designing Recovery: A Neuropsychological Based Design Framework to Mitigate Healthcare Worker Burnout
Tripti Singh, Neil Abrams
Healthcare worker burnout remains a growing challenge, yet little research has explored how healthcare environments can actively support recovery during the workday. SmithGroup's medical planners Tripti Singh and Neil Abrams will share findings from a national study examining how healthcare professionals define respite, what influences their ability to recharge, and how neuropsychological research can inform the design of restorative staff environments. Attendees will gain insight into an emerging framework for creating respite spaces that support workforce well-being and, ultimately, patient care.
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | It's All About the Outlets: Aligning Technology, Infrastructure, and Medical Equipment Planning
Zhang Jiang
As hospitals adopt increasingly sophisticated surgical technologies, successful implementation depends on seamless coordination between medical equipment, infrastructure, and operations. SmithGroup's Zhang Jiang, project architect, will explore how integrated planning strategies support next-generation operating rooms, drawing on real-world examples involving robotic systems, advanced imaging technologies, and procedural environments. The session will highlight best practices for future-proofing healthcare facilities while minimizing construction challenges and operational disruptions.
3:15 PM – 4:15 PM | Optimizing the Ambulatory Network: Strategy, Facility Planning, and Design for Scalable Care Delivery
Brenna Costello
With health systems facing margin pressures, workforce constraints and changing patient expectations, ambulatory network optimization has become a key strategic priority. SmithGroup's Vice President and Health Studio Leader Brenna Costello will join healthcare leaders from Corewell Health, Yale New Haven Health and Capital Healthcare Planning to discuss how organizations are aligning strategy, facility planning, and design to improve access, support growth, and optimize care delivery. Attendees will learn how data-driven planning can help health systems create scalable, patient-centered networks for the future.
Monday, October 19
2:15 PM – 3:30 PM | Keynote: Breaking Through Finale
Annie Chiang, Sahar Radwan, Divya Jayaram, Matt Richter, Meredith Westland, Timothy Kim and Richard Biolette
SmithGroup returns to the national stage as a finalist in Healthcare Design magazine's Breaking Through competition, a premier showcase for bold ideas that challenge conventional healthcare design thinking. During the keynote finale, SmithGroup's team will present its visionary concept, The Conscious Hospital, alongside fellow finalists, demonstrating how imaginative solutions can address future healthcare challenges without the traditional constraints of budget, schedule, or regulation. Audience members will help select the winning concept through live voting.
3:45 PM – 4:45 PM | AIA Forum: Bridging the GAP Between Benchmarking Research & Practice
Asma Sanaee
As healthcare organizations become more data-driven in planning and capital decision-making, benchmarking has emerged as a critical design tool. This session highlights insights from the AIA/AAH Case Study Library, examining hospital campus metrics, ambulatory care team typologies and public space allocation across more than 50 award-winning healthcare projects. Attendees will gain practical strategies for applying consistent benchmarking data to support the planning and design of high-performance healthcare environments.
Tuesday, October 20
8:15 AM – 9:15 AM | Empathy as a Design Strategy: Creating S.P.A.C.E. for People With Chronic Conditions
Nathalie Begin, Stephanie Sweet
Healthcare environments can play a powerful role in supporting people living with chronic conditions, yet many spaces unintentionally create barriers to care. SmithGroup’s medical planners and architects Nathalie Begin and Stephanie Sweet will introduce the S.P.A.C.E. Framework, a research-informed toolkit that helps planners and designers create more inclusive, supportive, and compassionate healthcare experiences. Grounded in lived experiences and evidence-based design principles, the session offers actionable strategies for advancing dignity, wellness, and belonging across healthcare settings.
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM | Green in the Blue Sky: Integrating Green Roofs in Highrise Urban Healthcare
Brian Powers
Implementing large-scale green roofs on urban healthcare towers presents unique design, construction and operational challenges. SmithGroup's Brian Powers will join partners from Advocate Health and Turner Construction to share lessons learned from integrating a 29,000-square-foot green roof into a new 230-bed hospital tower in Chicago. Attendees will gain practical insights into balancing sustainability, constructability, long-term performance and resiliency while achieving ambitious environmental goals in a dense urban setting.
1:15 PM – 2:15 PM | Designing for Tomorrow: A Replacement Hospital that Prioritizes Safety, Growth, and Community
Brenna Costello, Nate Savage
Faced with increasing climate risks and evolving community needs, AdventHealth Louisville is reimagining what a replacement hospital can be. Brenna Costello and Senior Architect Nate Savage will join our partners at AdventHealth to share how the new campus integrates wildfire resilience, emergency preparedness, patient-centered design and future growth strategies into a single vision. The session will explore how safety, healing, flexibility and sustainability can work together to create a hospital designed for long-term community impact.
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM | When Data Collection Drives Decisions: Modernizing Healthcare Facility Assessments
Laura Babinski, Kevin Myshock
Healthcare organizations rely on facility assessments to guide critical capital investments, yet traditional processes often produce fragmented and inconsistent results. SmithGroup's Technology Strategist Laura Babinski and Project Architect Kevin Myshock will examine how technology-enabled assessment tools and standardized data collection methods are transforming the evaluation of healthcare facilities. Drawing from an 11-million-square-foot multi-campus assessment, the session will demonstrate how data-driven insights can support strategic planning, risk mitigation, and informed decision-making across complex healthcare portfolios.