I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to serve as president for the AIA Academy of Architecture for Health. I want to extend my gratitude to the past leadership who have brought me to this exciting point in my career: Kenneth Webb, Ellen Taylor, Brenna Costello, Kirsten Waltz, Tushar Gupta, and Vincent Della Donna. The energy and passion that they and this organization possesses is like no other.
My goals for the year are simple yet bold. First, we need to raise awareness in the health care community of the importance of this Knowledge Community. The AIA Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) has over 9,000 members. If you don’t know, our mission is to “provide 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.”
The AAH provides a platform for architects to share their knowledge and expertise in health care design. It also supports research through the Foundation for Health Environments Research (FHER). The AAH’s work is important because it helps to improve the quality of health care design, which in turn can lead to better health outcomes for patients, creating healthy environments. The AAH is helping to promote the well-being of communities.
Second, we will continue to focus on the AAH values of diversity, inclusion, and sustainability as part of every committee and every outcome. Our DEI programming will be strengthened this year with the addition of research that supports inclusion of DEI and sustainable practices in health care architecture. We all can serve as role models for our peers as we push to integrate these values into our work with the broader health care community.
The third focus will be to foster greater collaboration with the five organizations that are allied to advance health care architecture: the American College of Healthcare Architects (ACHA), the Foundation for Health Environments Research (FHER), the Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI), The Center for Health Design (CHD), and Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design (NIHD). In this role we are not competitors but partners in shaping the future of healthcare design.
True to our mission, 2024 will showcase our continued commitment to providing expert knowledge that supports the design of healthy environments. Education and networking opportunities are the foundation of knowledge sharing, and we will accommodate all learners, from the student to the retiree. I look forward to 2024 to be present, to be bold, and to promote the AIA Academy of Architecture for Health.
Sincerely,
Michelle Trott, AIA, NCARB, ACHA
2024 AAH President
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