The Healthcare Design Forum marked its 10th anniversary in June at The Mills House in Charleston, S.C. The invitation-only event brings together high-level industry decision-makers, including HCD’s Editorial Advisory Board, attendees, and sponsors, for three days of educational sessions, small-group discussions, and networking.
The 2026 event opened at Holy City Brewing, where attendees participated in Lowcountry-inspired activities, including oyster shucking and indigo dyeing, followed by dinner at the venue.
Day two centered on the challenges and opportunities facing the healthcare design industry through a variety of presentations. Futurist and author Martin Ford opened with a keynote on artificial intelligence (AI) titled “Rule of the Robots: How Artificial Intelligence Will Transform Everything.” Cas Holman, toy designer, author, and principal designer at Toy Company Heroes Will Rise, followed with “How to Play: A Workshop on Creativity,” where attendees put their crafting skills to work.
The morning closed with a joint presentation by Travis Laird, COO for hospital planning and operations at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin (Austin), and Anthony Treu, principal at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (New York), on how AI is reshaping healthcare delivery and its implications for facility design.
The afternoon featured a presentation of Healthcare Design’s 2026 A/E/C Survey results by Editor-in-Chief Anne DiNardo, small-group breakout sessions, and the annual HCD 10 Awards Dinner. The Forum concluded Friday with attendees sharing takeaways from their breakout discussions in a panel discussion moderated by Brand Director Jennifer Silvis.
Special thanks to sponsors: Carolina, Clarus Healthcare, Global, JSI Health, Kevin Barry Art Advisory, Kimball International, Kwalu, La-Z-Boy Healthcare/Knú, Mannington Commercial, M Group, Whitehall Manufacturing, and Wolf-Gordon.
Anne DiNardo is editor-in-chief of Healthcare Design and can be reached at [email protected].
