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 health care 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.

Learn more about AAH by viewing our structure and strategy documents. If you're interested in getting involved with any of our committees, please email aah@aia.org.

Academy Board

2024 President/Governance & Collaboration
Michelle Trott, AIA, NCARB, ACHA
Clark Patterson Lee (CPL)
Rochester, NY

Past President/Operations & Recruitment
Kenneth Webb IV, AIA, ACHA, LEED BD+C
Perkins&Will
Washington, DC

2025 President/Connections
Southern Ellis, AIA, LEED AP
HKS 
Dallas, TX

Codes and Standards
Pierce McVey, AIA, LEED AP
Seattle, WA

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

Marketing & External Visibility 
Eugene Damaso, AIA, ACHA, NCARB, GGP, EDAC
Kubo Studio
Orlando, FL 

Conferences
Corie Baker, AIA, EDAC, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP
Gresham Smith
Jupiter, FL

Recognitions
Karthik Ramadurai, AIA, LEED AP, WELL AP
SmithGroup
Los Angeles, CA

Codes and Standards

Chair: Tina Duncan, AIA, CBO, ACHA

The Codes and Standards committee focuses on education and advocacy of the various codes and standards that are commonplace in the health care 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 health care.

Colleague to Colleague (C2C) Mentorship Program

Co-Chairs: Jill Bergman, AIA, ACHA, EDAC, LEED AP and Steve Langston, AIA, FACHA, EDAC, LEED AP 

The mission of the AAH Colleague 2 Colleague Mentorship program is to empower a diverse cross-section of professionals within the health design field through an intentional community fostering growth, networking, and leadership creation.

Communications

Co-Chairs: Jennifer Cagide-Alexander and Jenny Cestnik

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 health care 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 health care industry. The Communications Committee welcomes suggestions and recommendations for newsworthy items.

Components Council

Co-Chairs: Marybeth Dietz, AIA, ACHA, Angela Holcomb, AIA, and Chris Haedt, AIA, NCARB, ACHA, LEED AP BD+C

The Advisory Group is committed to assisting regional groups of individuals who are passionate about health care 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. 

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 health care 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
• MillerKnoll Scholarship
• SLS Next Generation Scholarship

Healthcare Design Awards

Chair: Hans Walter, AIA, ACHA 

The Design Awards Committee promotes and encourages excellence in health care design through the annual awards program. The program seeks to elevate health care 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 health care. 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. 

Healthcare Design & Expo Conference (HCD)

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. 

The International Summit & Exhibition on Health Facility Planning, Design & Construction | PDC 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. 

Next Generation

Co-Chairs: Jack Reed, AIA, LEED GA and Dani Kolker, AIA, EDAC, LEED AP BD+C

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.

Research Initiatives

Co-Chairs: Marjorie Eliason Brown and 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: Rita Ho

The webinar committee facilitates the healthcare continuing education needs of architects and health care 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 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 Tusler, AIA, Minneapolis
1956–1959 Aaron Kiff, AIA, New York City
1960–1961 E. Todd Wheeler, FAIA, Chicago
1962–1963 Matt Jorgensen, AIA, Atlanta
1964 Rex Allen, FAIA, Sonoma, CA
1965–1966 John M. Ware, AIA, Jackson, MS
1967 Edward Matthei, FAIA, Chicago
1968–1969 Sherman Morss, FAIA, Boston
1970 Edward Matthei, FAIA, Chicago
1971 Roger Mellem, AIA, Port Republic, MD
1972 Donald Neptune, FAIA, Newport Beach, CA
1973 John Rea Jr., FAIA, Altoona, PA
1974 Donald Edge, AIA, West Palm Beach, FL
1975 Gerald Oudens, FAIA, FACHA, Chevy Chase, MD
1976 Theodore Stolte, AIA, Los Altos, CA
1977 William Black, AIA, Chestnut Hill, MA
1978 Jason William Frye Jr., AIA, Houston
1979 J. Armand Burgun, FAIA , FACHA, Kitty Hawk, NC
1980 Donald Axon, FAIA, FACHA, Laguna Niguel, CA
1981 Bertis Rasco, AIA, Seattle
1982 Marlene Berkoff, FAIA, San Rafael, CA
1983 Ronald Skaggs, FAIA, FACHA, Dallas
1984 Lloyd Siegel, FAIA, Washington, DC
1985 Martin Cohen, FAIA, FACHA, Armonk, NY
1986 James Jonassen, FAIA, FACHA, Seattle
1987 John Lind, FAIA, Iowa City, IA
1988 Wilbur "Tib" Tusler, FAIA, FACHA, San Francisco
1989 Frank Zilm, FAIA, FACHA, Kansas City, MO
1990 James Diaz, FAIA, FACHA, San Francisco
1991 Malcolm Cutting, AIA, Chagrin Falls, OH
1992 Bruce Arneill, FAIA, FACHA, Glastonbury, CT
1993 Merlin Lickhalter, FAIA, FACHA, Naples, FL
1994 Georgeann Burns, Assoc. AIA, Atlanta
1995 Joseph Sprague, FAIA, FACHA, Dallas
1996–1997 Morris Stein, FAIA, FACHA, Phoenix
1998 Donald McKahan, AIA, FACHA, Del Mar, CA
1999 D. Kirk Hamilton, FAIA, FACHA, Houston
2000 David Moon, FAIA, FACHA, San Diego
2001 Francis 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 Guimaraes, Assoc. AIA, Coral Gables, FL
2016 Joan Suchomel, AIA, ACHA, EDAC, Chicago, IL
2017 James (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
2023 Kenneth Webb IV, AIA, ACHA, LEED BD+C, Washington, DC