The Center for Health Design

The Center for Health Design Research: We help facilitate research on how the design of the built environment affects outcomes.

The Center for Health Design is a non-profit organization - through design research, education and advocacy we improve and maximize health, safety and wellness in environments where people live, work and heal. A major initiative is the Pebble Project, a unique and dynamic collaborative, where forward-thinking healthcare, design, and industry professionals learn, research, and share information with one another. Our website has more than 40 free research reports and whitepapers that link the built environment to outcomes and searchable databases of relevant research and project examples. Education: Our Evidence-based Design Accreditation & Certification (EDAC) program is an internationally recognized educational program that awards credentials to individuals who demonstrate a thorough understanding of how to apply an evidence-based process to plan and design healthcare facilities. With more than 1,200 certified individuals since its launch in 2009, EDAC is quickly becoming one of the healthcare design industry’s most important credentials. Each year, more than 4,000 individuals attend our annual Healthcare Design conference and 30,000 subscribe to Healthcare Design magazine (both produced by Vendome Group in association with CHD). Advocacy: We recognize and promote excellence in design and leadership through 5 award programs. By providing input into the Guidelines for the Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities, we are advocating for change in the building codes and standards. A partner in the Healthier Hospitals Initiative, we are an active participant in a coalition of major health systems and organizations committed to improving sustainability and safety across the healthcare sector. Hundreds of individuals and organizations are engaged to support our work and help transform the industry through our affiliate membership program.

Join us at the PDC Summit with the American Hospital Association and American Society for Health Care Engineering for an...
01/15/2026

Join us at the PDC Summit with the American Hospital Association and American Society for Health Care Engineering for an engaging panel discussion with some of The Center's Pediatric Environment Network (PEN) members Jill Sullivan and Jennifer Rodosta of Stanford Medicine Children's Health, Mezio Zangirolami, AIA, LEED AP of HGA and Elizabeth Brinkley of The Innova Group.

The session will explore how built environments can continue to support the well-being of its occupants—even amid disruption. Through candid stories and lessons learned, panelists will highlight strategies, relationships, and design approaches that have proven resilient, as well as those that have fallen short. View session info here: https://loom.ly/xwktbMY

Healthcare is moving beyond the walls of the hospital. This is partially due to a growing population of patients who req...
01/14/2026

Healthcare is moving beyond the walls of the hospital. This is partially due to a growing population of patients who require medical care but are stable enough to be treated at home (including older adults with acute and chronic conditions). Home environments that support medical care can reduce unnecessary hospitalization, influence health and wellbeing, and help to maintain a person's independence. To learn more, check out our free interactive design diagram tool for healthcare at home here: https://loom.ly/8clqjBI

Register for our February EDAC Exam online study session series! Join The Center's Donna Deckard, Kati Peditto of DLR Gr...
01/14/2026

Register for our February EDAC Exam online study session series! Join The Center's Donna Deckard, Kati Peditto of DLR Group, Julie Kent of Albert Kahn Associates and Annette Klaus of Steelcase Health for comprehensive online study sessions to help you prepare to take the EDAC exam. The sessions provide general information about the types of questions on the exam, as well as an overview of the six domains included in the exam.

In this four-part series, presenters will provide a detailed review of content from each of the study guides and discuss key concepts that you need to know. The sessions will be presented as follows:

February 6, 2026: Study Guide 1 – An Introduction to Evidenced-Based Design
February 13, 2026: Study Guide 2 – Research – Building the Evidence-Base
February 20, 2026: Study Guide 3 – Integrating Evidence-Based Design
February 27, 2026: Review

Learn more and register: https://loom.ly/EZrEh7U

Tune into the latest episode of The Healthcare Interior Design 2.0 Podcast with Elizabeth Johnson of Montana State Unive...
01/13/2026

Tune into the latest episode of The Healthcare Interior Design 2.0 Podcast with Elizabeth Johnson of Montana State University and incoming president of the Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design. Elizabeth lives at the intersection of nursing, technology, and design, with a passion for designing healthcare systems—especially for rural, frontier, remote, and tribal communities where distance and infrastructure shape what care can look and feel like.

In this conversation, Elizabeth shares the “permission” moment that changed her path into healthcare design, her research using mobile and wearable technology to support clinical trial participant safety, and the powerful insights coming from The Kind Room Project—where children use art to show what a healthcare space looks like when it helps them feel calm, safe, and brave. Along the way, she offers a reframe you won’t forget: “My patient is now the hospital.” Listen to the episode here: https://loom.ly/85HiS5g

Are you looking to make 2026 the year you elevate your career, project outcomes and evidence-based design skills? Lock i...
01/13/2026

Are you looking to make 2026 the year you elevate your career, project outcomes and evidence-based design skills? Lock in our EXTENDED Risk Free Offer by signing up for the EDAC Exam by January 31, 2026. You’ll save 10%, and have a year to take and pass the exam – including one free retake if needed!

We want to add you to our community of over 3,000 EDAC-certified professionals around the globe. Together, when the evidence-based design process is used, we’re improving health and safety outcomes for patients and staff in all types of healthcare environments. Learn more here: https://loom.ly/VvjPZoc

Integrating an Evidence-Based Design (EBD) process with Lean methodology during a project’s planning, design and constru...
01/12/2026

Integrating an Evidence-Based Design (EBD) process with Lean methodology during a project’s planning, design and construction phases can yield a wide and unique range of health, safety, quality and business outcomes. Attend our 2026 PDC Summit Pre-Conference Workshop to hear The Center's Donna Deckard, Terri Zborowsky of HGA, Andrea Sponsel of HKS Architects and Jeff O'Neill of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital lead you through the EBD fundamentals of finding and applying relevant research, and leveraging Lean methods to identity and prioritize issues.

You will learn how and where to incorporate Lean and EBD during the various stages, how to build a business case linking design to health outcomes, and hear examples of how organizations have successfully integrated these processes. Learn more and register at the link. https://loom.ly/CvFR_x8

Want to hear who's doing what, where and how in healthcare design? Our monthly Currents newsletter features new research...
01/09/2026

Want to hear who's doing what, where and how in healthcare design? Our monthly Currents newsletter features new research, tools, resources and events for you. Follow the link to see our January 2026 newsletter. Read it here: https://loom.ly/JyDmXQA

Strategic capital planning is essential to healthcare success. Join us at the PDC Summit with the American Hospital Asso...
01/08/2026

Strategic capital planning is essential to healthcare success. Join us at the PDC Summit with the American Hospital Association and the American Society for Health Care Engineering as members of The Center’s Built Environment Network (BEN)—Stephen Carbery of Carbery Facilities Solutions, LLC, Mike McKay of UW Health, Susana Erpestad of HDR, and Clayton Mitchell of Yale New Haven Health—share metrics and benchmarks that reveal key differences across projects and offer practical ways to improve delivery speed, cost efficiency, and quality. This session qualifies for EDAC CEUs. View session information here: https://loom.ly/TF3lHMc

Outpatient care is evolving—and so must the spaces that support it. In our upcoming EBD Journal Club, featured presenter...
01/08/2026

Outpatient care is evolving—and so must the spaces that support it. In our upcoming EBD Journal Club, featured presenter Zahra Zamani, PhD, EDAC, LSSYB, of BSA and Kati Peditto of DLR Group will walk us through research revealing how clinic layout, flow, and key design features influence patient behavior and staff operations. Register to explore practical design strategies that improve comfort, efficiency, and overall clinic performance. Learn more and register: https://loom.ly/mgo_goI

The Center for Health Design’s EDAC program awards a credential to individuals who demonstrate an understanding of how t...
01/07/2026

The Center for Health Design’s EDAC program awards a credential to individuals who demonstrate an understanding of how to apply an evidence-based process to the design and construction of all settings that contribute to health, safety and wellbeing including measuring and reporting results. If you would like to distinguish yourself for your knowledge and practice of EBD in healthcare, we encourage you to become EDAC certified. Learn more: https://loom.ly/kHmaTYI

New research published in the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses American Journal of Critical Care (AJCC), unc...
01/06/2026

New research published in the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses American Journal of Critical Care (AJCC), uncovers how critical care unit design and teamwork directly impact whether nurses are able to take breaks. Led by Center researchers Ellen Taylor and Yolanda Keys, the study highlights how layouts that promote visibility, connection, and collaboration can play a powerful role in reducing burnout and supporting nurse well-being.

Check out the article here: https://loom.ly/blcey_c and a video of Yolanda discussing the study here: https://loom.ly/r9UPbwo

Are you looking to make 2026 the year you elevate your career, project outcomes and evidence-based design skills?EDAC ce...
01/06/2026

Are you looking to make 2026 the year you elevate your career, project outcomes and evidence-based design skills?

EDAC certification trains you to use a proven and globally-recognized evidence-based design process to improve – with evidence and research – your project design decisions, work, and health, safety and business outcomes.

Lock in our EXTENDED Risk Free Offer by signing up for the EDAC Exam by January 31, 2026. You’ll save 10%, and have a year to take and pass the exam – including one free retake if needed! Learn more here: https://loom.ly/VvjPZoc

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1850 Gateway Boulevard, Ste 1083
Concord, CA
94520

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Research: We help facilitate research on how the design of the built environment affects outcomes. A major initiative is the Pebble Project, a unique and dynamic collaborative, where forward-thinking healthcare, design, and industry professionals learn, research, and share information with one another. Our website has more than 40 free research reports and whitepapers that link the built environment to outcomes and searchable databases of relevant research and project examples. Education: Our Evidence-based Design Accreditation & Certification (EDAC) program is an internationally recognized educational program that awards credentials to individuals who demonstrate a thorough understanding of how to apply an evidence-based process to plan and design healthcare facilities. With more than 1,200 certified individuals since its launch in 2009, EDAC is quickly becoming one of the healthcare design industry’s most important credentials. Each year, more than 4,000 individuals attend our annual Healthcare Design conference and 30,000 subscribe to Healthcare Design magazine (both produced by Vendome Group in association with CHD). Advocacy: We recognize and promote excellence in design and leadership through 5 award programs. By providing input into the Guidelines for the Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities, we are advocating for change in the building codes and standards. A partner in the Healthier Hospitals Initiative, we are an active participant in a coalition of major health systems and organizations committed to improving sustainability and safety across the healthcare sector. Hundreds of individuals and organizations are engaged to support our work and help transform the industry through our affiliate membership program.