Academy Board and Subcommittees

Mission: The AIA Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) provides knowledge which supports the design of healthy environments by creating education and networking opportunities for members of – and those touched by – the healthcare architectural profession.

Vision: Together, we will improve the world by serving as the authoritative voice for the design of healthy environments, leading the way to effective future practice, and advocating with those who share our goals.

View these documents to learn more about our structure and strategy. If you're interested in getting involved with any of the AAH committees, please email aah@aia.org.

Academy Board

2023 President/Governance & Collaboration
Kenneth Webb IV, AIA, ACHA, LEED BD+C
HKS PC
Washington, DC

Past President/Operations & Recruitment
Ellen Taylor, PhD, AIA, MBA, EDAC
The Center for Health Design
New York, NY

2024 President/Connections
Michelle Trott, AIA, NCARB, ACHA
Clark Patterson Lee
Rochester, NY

Marketing & External Visibility
Kimberly Montague, AIA, EDAC, LEED AP, NCARB
Kimball International
Novi, MI

Education
Roderic Walton, AIA, NCARB, NOMA
Moody Nolan
Chicago, IL

Conferences
Pierce McVey, AIA, LEED AP
SRG Partnership
Seattle, WA

Codes and Standards
Bryan Langlands, AIA, FACHA, EDAC
NBBJ
New York, NY

Recognitions
Southern Ellis, AIA, LEED AP
HKS PC
Dallas, TX

Academy Journal

Chair: Regan Henry, PhD, LEED AP, LSSBB

The AAH Journal is the official journal of the AAH. Since the late 1990s, this free electronic and more recently, hard copy version, publication has published hundreds of original articles that explored subjects of interest to not only AAH members but to thousands of others worldwide in the fields of healthcare architecture, planning, design, and construction. The goal has always been to expand and promote awareness, educational exchange and advancement of the overall project delivery process, building products, and medical progress affecting all involved in those fields. Read the most recent journals. 

Articles and Blogs

Chair: Deb Smith, AIA, ACHA   

The Articles and Blogs committee is responsible for monthly AAH articles and blogs that reflect the Academy’s perspective that are published in Healthcare Design magazine and their online forum. These articles and blogs share the insight, knowledge and research of AAH members and are coordinated with the Healthcare Design Magazine editorial calendar to complement their featured content for the month. The committee works with HCD to define the topics for the articles/blogs, finds relevant authors, facilitates coordination with HCD and insures the articles and blogs represents the views of the AAH.  

Healthcare Design Awards

Chair: Karthik Ramadurai, AIA, LEED AP, WELL AP

The Design Awards Committee promotes and encourages excellence in healthcare design through the annual awards program. The program seeks to elevate healthcare architecture by creating a platform for work that is visible and accessible to both practitioners and the public. By encouraging innovation, sustainable design and integrated solutions the program promotes architecture as a vital component to providing patient-centered healthcare. Committee members nominate potential jurors, plan the awards ceremony, coordinate outreach, edit publications and assist other AIA knowledge communities with case studies and webinars that broaden the awards program impact to the larger architectural community.  Learn more about the AAH Healthcare Design Awards program. 

Codes and Standards

Chair: Tina Duncan, AIA

The Codes and Standards committee focuses on education and advocacy of the various codes and standards that are commonplace in the healthcare environment. Backed by data, research and science, the intent is to create a platform that encourages and supports code revisions that will ultimately improve patient satisfaction and outcomes. The committee actively participates in various code development groups including FGI (Facility Guidelines Institute Guidelines for Design and Construction), IBC (International Building Code), NFPA 101 (Life Safety Code), and NFPA 99 (Health Care Facilities Code) as well creating and distributing white papers and hosting webinars on topics of importance applicable to healthcare.

Communications

Chair: Jennifer Cagide-Alexander

Our goal is to foster greater communication between members through publication of quarterly news briefs, semi-weekly updates on social media channels and newsworthy updates in the Digest. The Communication committee aims to provide all AIA Knowledge Community members with timely, concise and relevant information on issues affecting the healthcare design industry. The committee focuses the communications on current issues in the health care market, and highlights of upcoming AAH events and programs. Close coordination with the AAH Board and committees result in up-to-date connections to the healthcare industry. The Communications Committee welcomes suggestions and recommendations for newsworthy items.

Fellowships and Scholarships

Chair: Shary Adams, AIA, ACHA, EDAC, LEED AP

This committee manages and distributes four fellowships and two scholarships for young professionals in healthcare architecture. These increase awareness of the needs and nature of healthcare facilities and provide an opportunity to attend healthcare design focused conferences.

• Arthur N. Tuttle Jr. Fellowship in Health Facility Planning and Design
• Programming, Planning and the Practice of Designing Health Facilities Academy of Architecture for Health Foundation Legacy Fellowship (GMZ)
• J. Armand Burgun Fellowship in FGI interest areas of Health Facility Planning and Design
• The George J. Mann, AIA Travel Prize
• Herman Miller Scholarship
• SLS Next Generation Scholarship

Healthcare Design & Expo Conference

Chair: Sara Shumbera, Assoc. AIA

The Healthcare Design & Expo Conference Committee is committed to being the liaison for the AAH to the conference providers and other industry partners. The committee strives to support the marketing, development and education of all AAH members, which includes both emerging and longstanding memberships. Members of this committee collaborate with Center for Health Design and Emerald Logistics to coordinate and/or select: Regular sessions, Deep Dive session, Forums, STERIS Student Design Charrette and onsite tours at the annual Healthcare Design Conference. 

Next Generation

Co-Chairs: Jack Reed and Wenz Tuttle

The Next Generation Committee is the front door for young architects, researchers, and architecture students entering the AAH. The committee seeks to introduce young people to the field of health design, relay its impact, and then serve as the gathering ground for this community to grow, empowering its members to become the future leaders in the field. This gathering ground will also serve as a well of youth for the various committees within the AAH to draw from, increasing generational diversity throughout the Academy.

Outreach

Co-Chairs: Tom Chessum, FAIA and Joshua Crews, AIA, EDAC

The Outreach Committee identifies influential organizations involved in the creation of healthcare environments and in health and healthcare delivery, policy, strategy and research with whom the AAH can collaborate. By establishing new or strengthening existing relationships with these groups, the Outreach Committee expands knowledge of critical policy and other issues important to our members and clients and shares AAH viewpoints with these other groups. We collaborate with these groups to create joint projects that will improve the quality of healthcare design and the design of healthy communities.

Health Facility Planning, Design and Construction Summit

Chair: Akshay Sangolli, AIA, ACHA, EDAC, LEED AP BD+C

The committee’s mission is to continually evaluate and improve the quality and participation of this conference by providing outstanding educational content and networking opportunities for the profession. This committee is a liaison for the AAH to the conference providers and partners helping to provide guidance in the development of educational content and networking opportunities with the goal of increasing quality and attendance to this event within the broader profession. Opportunities to further these goals include the development, planning, and coordinating of: conference educational content, pre-conference deep dive sessions, project tours, and the student design charrette. 

Components Council

Chair: Marybeth Dietz, AIA
Co-Chair: Angela C. Holcomb, AIA

The Advisory Group is committed to assisting regional groups of individuals who are passionate about healthcare architectural design in their establishment and/or enhancement of local components that provide knowledge sharing events. Our committee’s goal is to “connect the dots.”  Each Chapter has a champion who is responsible for: communicating with leadership; understanding the activities that are planned or in-progress in their component and helping to connect people together to help promote the goals and objectives of the larger Academy of Architecture for Health. Learn more about our work with components here. 

Research Initiatives

Chair: Marjorie Eliason Brown
Co-Chair: Asma Sanaee

The AAH Research Initiatives Committee was formed in 2009 to promote research-based architectural practice to Academy members, and to improve the quality (and quantity) of design research through improved dialogue between Practitioners and Researchers. AAH has partnered for several years now, and continues to partner with, the Center for Health Design’s Knowledge Repository, as both a sponsor and a reviewer/critic. The Case Study Library and “benchmarking” initiative is also an ongoing project which we intend to continue in perpetuity. Every year, we conduct the Research Forum at Healthcare Design as part of our continuing dialogue on building bridges between research and practice.  

Sustainability

Chair: Amber Wirth, AIA, LEED AP BD+C

The sustainability committee aims to partner with other AAH committees to create alignment between the AAH and AIA’s broader sustainability goals. The committee will help elevate the adoption of those goals within the AAH membership by bringing a healthcare lens to resources that already exist, providing education on emerging trends in sustainable healthcare design, and increasing communication regarding our successes and progress. We aim to help AAH membership take meaningful actions to improving the health and wellness impacts and reducing the environmental impacts of all healthcare projects.

U40 List

Chair: Alison Leonard, AIA, CHID, EDAC

The committee’s mission is to recognize emerging leaders under the age of 40 that are advancing the creation of healing environments and to identify candidates based on leadership, innovation, and the active dissemination of ideas. The U40 committee guides the U40 List selection process by selecting jurors and organizing all applications for the award. The committee selects jurors around the country with diverse skill sets and works with the communications committee to promote a higher number of applicants. The committee also engages with past recipients to encourage their involvement in the AAH.

Webinars

Chair: Yvonne Nagy

The webinar committee facilitates the healthcare continuing education needs of architects and healthcare design professionals. Webinar content caters to two main audiences:

• Established design professionals – provoking interest in deeper dives into:
  • Emerging healthcare design best practices
  • Case studies of award-winning designs
  • Outside-the-box topics on architecture for health
• Emerging design professionals – offering webinars dedicated to fundamentals including:
  • Patient Safety
  • Evidence-based design
  • National codes and guidelines

Committee members support in a variety of ways including identification and facilitation of presenters, moderate live webinars, technical, logistical and administrative support and planning.

AAH Past Presidents

1945 Carl A. Erickson, AIA, Chicago
1946–1947 Marshall Schaffer, AIA, Washington, DC
1948 H. Elridge Hannaford, AIA, Cincinnati
1949–1952 Slocum Kinsbury, AIA, Washington, DC
1953–1955 Wilbur H. Tusler, AIA, Minneapolis
1956–1959 Aaron N. Kiff, AIA, New York City
1960–1961 E. Todd Wheeler, FAIA, Chicago
1962–1963 Matt L. Jorgensen, AIA, Atlanta
1964 Rex W. Allen, FAIA, Sonoma, CA
1965–1966 John M. Ware, AIA, Jackson, MS
1967 Edward H. Matthei, FAIA, Chicago
1968–1969 Sherman Morss, FAIA, Boston
1970 Edward H. Matthei, FAIA, Chicago
1971 Roger C. Mellem, AIA, Port Republic, MD
1972 Donald E. Neptune, FAIA, Newport Beach, CA
1973 John Rea Jr., FAIA, Altoona, PA
1974 Donald R. Edge, AIA, West Palm Beach, FL
1975 Gerald F. Oudens, FAIA, FACHA, Chevy Chase, MD
1976 Theodore A. Stolte, AIA, Los Altos, CA
1977 William S. Black, AIA, Chestnut Hill, MA
1978 Jason William Frye Jr., AIA, Houston
1979 J. Armand Burgun, FAIA , FACHA, Kitty Hawk, NC
1980 Donald C. Axon, FAIA, FACHA, Laguna Niguel, CA
1981 Bertis C. Rasco, AIA, Seattle
1982 Marlene J. Berkoff, FAIA, San Rafael, CA
1983 Ronald L. Skaggs, FAIA, FACHA, Dallas
1984 Lloyd H. Siegel, FAIA, Washington, DC
1985 Martin H. Cohen, FAIA, FACHA, Armonk, NY
1986 James O. Jonassen, FAIA, FACHA, Seattle
1987 John H. Lind, FAIA, Iowa City, IA
1988 Wilbur H. "Tib" Tusler, FAIA, FACHA, San Francisco
1989 Frank Zilm, FAIA, FACHA, Kansas City, MO
1990 James R. Diaz, FAIA, FACHA, San Francisco
1991 Malcolm M. Cutting, AIA, Chagrin Falls, OH
1992 Bruce P. Arneill, FAIA, FACHA, Glastonbury, CT
1993 Merlin E. Lickhalter, FAIA, FACHA, Naples, FL
1994 Georgeann B. Burns, Assoc. AIA, Atlanta
1995 Joseph G. Sprague, FAIA, FACHA, Dallas
1996–1997 Morris A. Stein, FAIA, FACHA, Phoenix
1998 Donald C. McKahan, AIA, FACHA, Del Mar, CA
1999 D. Kirk Hamilton, FAIA, FACHA, Houston
2000 David N. Moon, FAIA, FACHA, San Diego
2001 Francis M. Pitts, FAIA, FACHA, Troy, NY
2002 Joan Saba, FAIA, FACHA, New York City
2003 Ralph Hawkins, FAIA, FACHA, Dallas
2004 John Pangrazio, FAIA, FACHA, Seattle
2005 T. Scott Rawlings, AIA, FACHA, Washington, DC
2006 H. Scot Latimer, FAIA, ACHA, Evergreen, CO
2007 Scott Miller, AIA, FACHA, Leawood, KS
2008 Peter Bardwell, FAIA, FACHA, Columbus, OH
2009–2010 A. Ray Pentecost III, DrPH, FAIA, FACHA, Norfolk, VA
2011 Ron Smith, AIA, ACHA, Houston
2012 Dan Noble,  FAIA, FACHA, Dallas
2013 Roger Call, AIA, ACHA, Zeeland, MI
2014 Charles Griffin, AIA, FACHA, Houston, TX
2015 Tatiana M. Guimaraes, Assoc. AIA, Coral Gables, FL
2016 Joan L. Suchomel, AIA, ACHA, EDAC, Chicago, IL
2017 James T. (Tom) Clark, FAIA, EDAC, Portland, OR
2018 Vincent Della Donna, AIA, ACHA, South Plainfield, NJ
2019 Tushar Gupta, FAIA, NCARB, Houston, TX
2020 Kirsten Waltz, AIA, ACHA, EDAC, LEED AP, Boston, MA
2021 Brenna Costello, AIA, ACHA, EDAC, Denver, CO
2022 Ellen Taylor, PhD, AIA, MBA, EDAC, New York, NY