Shepley named American College of Healthcare Architects fellow

Mardelle McCuskey Shepley, professor of architecture at Texas A&M and director of the [Center for Health Systems and Design] (http://archone.tamu.edu/chsd/) , has been elevated to membership in the [ American College of Healthcare Architects] (http://www.healtharchitects.org/ACHA/healthcare_architects.asp) ’ Council of Fellows for advancing the standards of architectural education, training and practice.

Her teaching, research and writing were recognized by the ACHA as widely recognized, an inspiration to others in the field, and of lasting impact. Designation as a fellow is the highest membership honor bestowed by the ACHA.

Shepley and the new group of fellows will be formally inducted Nov. 14, 2011, during the ACHA’s National Luncheon and Awards Ceremony at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn.

Shepley, who joined the Texas A&M faculty in 1993, specializes in architectural design, social architecture, health care facility design, applied research and environmental psychology.

Shepley is holder of the William Peña Endowed Professorship in Information Management at Texas A&M. In February 2011, she was named a member of the American Institute of Architects’ College of Fellows for making significant contributions to architecture and society, an honor fewer than two percent of all registered architects receive.

In 2010, she was named among the 25 most [influential people] (http://archone.tamu.edu/college/news/newsletters/spring2011/stories/HealthcareDesigners.html) in healthcare design by Healthcare Design magazine’s editorial board and staff and the publishing staff at the Center for Health Design. The list, according to the magazine, is a “who's who” of the health care design industry including architects, interior designers, academics and researchers.

“These 25 people are fairly representative of today's best and brightest,” said the magazine’s editorial board.

Her 2010 book “ [Health Facility Evaluation for Designing Practitioners] (http://archone.tamu.edu/college/news/newsletters/spring2011/stories/Shepley_book.html) ,” hailed as a definitive resource for evaluating health facilities, provides information to help design professionals better understand, plan, conduct and share pre- and post-occupancy evaluations of health facilities.

" [Design for Critical Care: An Evidence-Based Approach] (http://archone.tamu.edu/college/news/newsletters/fall2009/stories/ICUbook.html) ," which she wrote in 2009 with Kirk Hamilton, professor of architecture at Texas A&M, makes a connection between research evidence and design practice and presents a holistic approach that outlines the future for successful design for critical care settings. Hamilton is also an ACHA fellow.

Her professional experience has included positions with the The Design Partnership and Tai Associates in San Francisco, the Ministry of Planning in the Republic of Panama, and the Department of City Planning in New York City.