Tanya Chadha, EDAC, medical planner, associate, HGA (Milwaukee)

After completing her Bachelor of Architecture degree while living in India, Tanya Chadha moved to the U.S. to earn her master’s at Texas A&M University with a certification in health systems and design. There, she began developing a passion for data-driven decision-making and evidence-based design (EBD).

She next spent four years working in the healthcare industry, before joining HGA in 2017. At the firm, she’s been responsible for strategic programming and detailed space planning for several outpatient and inpatient facilities, most recently serving as a leading member of the strategic programming and planning of SSM Health—Dean Medical Group, Fish Hatchery Campus redevelopment, in Madison, Wis. Utilizing her skills in Lean and EBD, she helped transform the organization from using an episodic care model to an integrated care delivery approach, in part by applying for and receiving a microgrant through an internal firm program to support pre-occupancy research with staff surveys, shadowing, and observations.

Additionally, she aided in research on the mental well-being of caregivers at a major academic medical center. Chadha has also received highly competitive grants to fund additional research efforts, including one for a post-occupancy study of an emergency department for Sutter Health in Roseville, Calif., and is currently working on COVID-19 research projects, including taking lessons learned from the SARS outbreak in Toronto to redefine post-pandemic workflows and operational solutions.

Regarded by her colleagues as a leader in EBD, Chadha serves as an adjunct member of the firm’s Design Insight Group, assisting as a researcher and Lean specialist in investigative and project work, as well as a core committee member of HGA’s healthcare roundtable group, where she facilitates monthly roundtables on trends, case studies, and research. The breadth of her focus and work as well as her continued commitment to research make Chadha a leader among her peers.