The Department of Architecture is hosting its annual Architecture-for-Health semester-long lecture series on the topic of how technology impacts healthcare design, with speakers from the top of their fields flying in from across the United States to educate attendees.
“Technology impacts everything,” said George Mann, professor of health facilities design. “It has a very fundamental impact on healthcare. It makes things possible that were impossible.”
The lecture series runs every week until Dec. 5 and will include topics ranging from digital healthcare to bone marrow transplants in pediatric hospitals.
The goal of the lecture series is to bring a “hot topic” to the table and inform students of new technologies used in architecture to build healthcare assets such as neonatal units, burn units and intensive care units.
“I like the fact that the speakers have a lot of in-depth knowledge of their topic and the topics cover varied aspects of healthcare design,” said Gauri Nadkarni, architecture graduate student. “It gives us such in-depth knowledge of varied aspects about architecture that it will make us an all-rounder in healthcare design.”
The lecture counts as a one-hour credit and nearly 45 undergraduate and graduate students are enrolled this year.
“The opportunity of meeting professionals and practitioners [is] the most important asset of this course for me,” said Soheil Hamideh, architecture graduate student. ”These seminars will help me make connections and get updated.”
While the Architecture-for-Health lectures have been around for years, Mann said they have never focused on such a specific topic.
The lecture series got its start when professors or leaders in healthcare design would stop by Mann’s office unannounced and he would ask them to say a few words about what they do.
“If I knew they were coming, I’d say bring some slides, so it became a PowerPoint and we’d do it right in the studio,” Mann said. “We’ve gotten so many people in Architecture-for-Health that we’d pick a theme and try to find the sharpest people out there and invite them.”
A new speaker and topic is featured every week. Registered interior designer Linda Porter Bishop shared her thoughts on the healing power of design during the first lecture on Sept. 5.
Larry Lammers will talk on materials management when designing new hospitals on Sept. 26. The following week, Oct. 3, will bring Michael Ufer and Ken DeBoer to speak on the topic technology and medical laboratories.
The lectures take place at 11:30 a.m. every Friday in Langford C105.