Experts to discuss how technology impacts healthcare unit design

Leaders in design, engineering and information technology will discuss the design and operation of modern, state-of-the-art specialty healthcare units — including imaging and radiology centers, burn units, intensive care units, neo natal units and many more — as part of the Fall 2014 Architecture-for-Health Lecture Series at Texas A&M.

“New technologies are emerging daily and at an accelerating rate,” said George J. Mann, lecture coordinator and holder of the Skaggs Professorship in Health Facilities Design. Presenters in this fall’s series, he said, will present case studies of public and private sector specialty healthcare unit projects.

The lecture series, open to the public and held primarily on Fridays at 11:30 a.m in Langford C105, is hosted by Texas A&M’s [Center for Health Systems & Design] (http://chsd.arch.tamu.edu) , the College of Architecture and the [Department of Architecture] (http://dept.arch.tamu.edu) .

The lectures are also offered to students as a 1-hour credit course: ARCH 681 for graduate students and ARCH 481 for undergrads.

Zhipeng Lu, a lecturer in the Department of Architecture at Texas A&M University, is assisting Mann with the coordination of the lecture series.

Sept. 5

Emerging technologies’ impact on the design of
special care units in health and hospital facilities

Mardelle Shepley , director of the Center for Health Systems & Design, Ward Wells , head of the Department of Architecture, and George J. Mann , professor of architecture and series coordinator, will briefly introduce the lecture series.

Connecting the dots: What we know
about design and special care units

Following the lecture series introduction, Linda Porter Bishop , principal and founder of [Restorative Environments] (http://lindaporterbishop.wordpress.com/) in Shanghai, China and Houston, Texas will speak. A registered interior designer and a member of the International Design Association and the American Society of Interior Designers, she champions the healing power of design.

Her 25-year career, specializing in healthcare interiors, began in Houston with positions at WHR and FKP. In 2009, she moved to Doha, Qatar as director of interiors and research for the Hamad Medical Corporation, the country’s healthcare system.

She now lives in Shanghai, China, consulting with architectural firms and health organizations to develop restorative environments. Her expertise also includes product design. She was recently commissioned by Haworth to develop a line of healthcare furniture for their Asia Pacific market.

Sept. 12

Keynote address

Speaker, Jorge Vanegas , dean of the College of Architecture, as served on the Texas A&M faculty since 2006, when he was hired as director of the college’s Center for Housing and Urban Development. He is interested in built environment, creativity, innovation, design, and entrepreneurship, especially advanced strategies, tools, and methods for integrated capital asset delivery and management.

Sept. 19

The brave new world of digital healthcare

Speaker Donald E. Kinser , founding president and CEO of [EDI Ltd.] (http://www.ediltd.com/index.html) , located in Atlanta and Denver, is a leading healthcare information technology consulting and design firm serving the building design and construction industry. A registered professional engineer and  certified professional in healthcare information and management systems, he co-authored the technology section that first appeared in the 2010 Facility Guidelines Institute Guidelines.

Sept. 26

Design for today's hospital: Materials
management systems in hospitals

Speaker Larry Lammers , founding principal of [Lammers + Associates Inc.] (http://lammershealth.com) in Reston, Va., has led or participated in more than 400 healthcare facility planning and developing projects. He is well known for his work in developing innovative materials handling and logistics systems for healthcare institutions.

Oct. 3

Technology and laboratories

The Oct. 3 lecture features two speakers from HKS in Dallas: Michael Ufer, senior vice president and science and technology central practice leader, and Ken DeBoer , vice president and senior laboratory planner. Among the facilities Uferhas designed during his almost 30 years of experience are an infectious disease laboratory in Mexico City, a regional forensic facility in California and a National Institutes of Health lab in Bethesda, Maryland. DeBoer has designed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Laboratory Center in Ammendale, Maryland and medical laboratories at the University of California-Davis and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Oct. 10

Furniture in healing environments

Lecturer Julia Rosen , president of [Julia Rosen Furniture Consulting] (http://www.jr-fc.com) , Inc. in Toronto, has worked on many large healthcare facility projects, including Sioux Lookout Hospital & Hostel, North Bay Hospital and the Jurvanski Research Centre.

Oct. 17

Annual meeting of the Texas A&M
Center for Health Systems & Design’s
Health Industry Advisory Council

HIAC keynote address

Lecturer Jonathan Flannery , senior associate director of advocacy education and research programs for the American Society of Hospital Engineering, will keynote the meeting at 9 a.m. in the Technical Reference Center, Langford A. He serves on national panels and committees that develop regulations for the design and construction of health care facilities.

Roundtable discussion

Sheila Cahnman , a healthcare architect, planner and strategist, will moderate a discussion of future CHSD projects in the Technical Reference Center, Langford A. She has led major projects for clients such as the Ohio State University Medical Center, University of Chicago hospitals and the University of Missouri.

Student presentations

Ph.D. architecture student Yin Jiang will present “Physical Models vs. Computer Simulation” and fellow doctoral student Adeleh Nejati will present “Nurse Respite Areas”at 9:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 17 in the Technical Reference Center, Langford A. Additionally, representatives from the Center for Health Systems & Design’s [Health Industry Advisory Council] (http://chsd.arch.tamu.edu/hiac/) will discuss possible future CHSD projects in a roundtable panel session slated for 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 17 in the TRC.

The design of intensive care units,
pediatric intensive care units and
neonatal intensive care units

Mardelle McCuskey Shepley , CHSD director and holder of The Skaggs–Sprague Endowed Chair in Health Facilities Design, and Kirk Hamilton , professor of architecture, will lecture at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 17 in Langford C105.

Oct. 24

How codes and standards
shape healthcare design

Speaker Doug Erickson is president of [TME, LLC] (http://www.tmecorp.com) in Little Rock, Arkansas, a mechanical, electrical, structural and energy engineering firm focused on healthcare, higher education, and commercial sectors. He will be introduced by Joseph G. Sprague, senior vice-president and director of health facilities for HKS, Inc. in Dallas.

Oct. 31

Bone marrow transplant
units in pediatric hospitals

Lecturer Gary S. Owens , senior principal of [FKP Architects] (http://www.fkp.com) , Inc. in Houston, has designed pediatric hospitals, community and academic-based health systems. He’s also designed facility and campus master plans, acute care hospitals, ambulatory care facilities, cancer centers, psychiatric/substance abuse facilities and medical office buildings.

Nov. 7

TSA Convention in Houston, no lecture scheduled.

Nov. 14

Emerging technologies and how they
impact designs for special care units

This lecture features two speakers from HKS Inc. in Dallas, Mik Pietrzak , chief medical adviser, and Dave Vincent , programmer and functional planner. Pietrzak has provided consultation services related to large medical center emergency department projects and threat mitigation. Vincent’s award-winning work during the past several years has focused on predesign programming and space planning of diagnostic and treatment areas.

Nov. 21

Future technology and health care

Speaker P.K. Carlton, Jr. is managing member of PK Concepts, LLC, a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General, former Surgeon General of the U.S. Air Force and a retired Texas A&M Health Science Center professor of surgery. He will be joined by Rodney Hill , holder of the Harold L. Adams Interdisciplinary Professorship in Architecture at Texas A&M University, and Allan Parr , chief executive officer at [REES Associates, Inc] (http://www.rees.com) ., an architectural, planning, and interior design firm with offices in 10 North American cities.

Dec. 05

Parkland Hospital: A Case Study of Collaboration

Speaker Louis Saksen , Parkland senior vice president of new campus construction, is overseeing the construction of the new $1.3 billion Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. Saksen manages a staff of vice presidents, directors, project managers and liaisons. He also has the responsibility for coordinating the project with several of the hospital’s major divisions, including administration, clinical operations, finance, information technology, strategic sourcing and internal audit.  He will be joined by Hank Adams, senior vice president and director of healthcare for [HDR] (http://www.hdrinc.com/) , and Chuck Armstrong , design director and principal at [Corgan] (http://www.corgan.com/) , who are also involved in the Parkland project.

Date to be announced

Impact of High Tech Systems on Low Tech Behavioral Healthcare Environments

Speaker Tim Rommel is principal of [CannonDesign] (http://www.cannondesign.com/) , an architecture, engineering and interior design firm specializing in healthcare education and corporate commercial facilities. A specialist in master planning, building design and construction administration for healthcare facilities of all kinds, he emphasizes the participation of administrators, staff and other user groups in the design process.