Anne DiNardo, Healthcare Design Editor-in-Chief

Image credit: Emerald/HCD

Something exciting arrived in my mailbox over the holidays: a copy of Healthcare Design’s inaugural issue. Unwrapping and holding the 148-page magazine in my hands, I’ll admit I geeked out a little.

Launched in November 2001, Healthcare DESIGN (as it was spelled then) began as a partnership between The Center for Health Design and publishing company Medquest Communications LLC to present the Architectural Design Showcase, a special section of the largest peer-reviewed healthcare design competition ever published. (We continue to publish the Design Showcase competition annually in the August issue).

Rounding out the first issue was a feature on green building design, project case studies, and a specialty directory of companies offering key supplies and services (aka, our annual Buyers Guide).

As I turned the pages, I found articles sharing strategies related to acoustics, sustainable design, and patient experience—some of the same issues challenging facilities and project teams today.

However, there’s one topic from that first issue that I think has been settled. In an article titled “A Tour of the Healing Environment,” Jain Malkin, president of interior design firm Jain Malkin Inc., wrote: “Too often hospital senior management and physicians in leadership positions fail to recognize the potential of the [healing environment], relegating the concept to a current ‘trend’ of superficial significance.”

Today, the significance of the built environment in healing, safety, and patient and staff satisfaction is well established. This magazine’s archives are filled with groundbreaking projects, research, and insight from thought leaders that showcase this industry’s transformation.

Healthcare Design 25th anniversary logo

As part of Healthcare Design’s 25th anniversary recognition, we’re planning a variety of coverage throughout the year that looks back on how far the industry has come and what the next 25 years might hold.

For starters, we’ve introduced a new “Looking Back” column, where we ask industry leaders to reflect on a moment when they saw the industry shift and how that influenced the sector. JumpGarden Consulting’s Sheila Cahnman kicks off the series here.

I also invite you to share your own views on industry milestones and predictions for the future by emailing me at [email protected].

Cheers to 25 years and counting!

Anne DiNardo is editor-in-chief of Healthcare Design and can be reached at [email protected].