35, Part 1, Jennifer Aliber, Principal at Shepley Bulfinch

Jennifer Aliber, Principal at Shepley Bulfinch, a national architecture firm known to challenge convention, pioneer visionary design & collaborate with clients is our guest today on the podcast. In part one of today’s episode, Jennifer shares her thoughts on how hospitals and healthcare systems can be better prepared for future pandemic outbreaks in the United States. Jennifer shares, “I’m pretty sure architects are going to be spending a lot of time over the next two years trying to think about how to protect both patients and staff from pandemics.” In this episode you will get insight into the brain of one of the oldest architecture firms continuing existence in North America, and learn what innovations are on the horizon for hospitals and healthcare systems. Learn more about Jennifer Aliber and Shepley Bulfinch by visiting  https://shepleybulfinch.com/.

In Part 1 of Cheryl’s conversation with Jennifer Aliber, they discuss:

• What Jennifer and Shepley Bulfinch were up to in the five years prior to the pandemic and what changed overnight when COVID-19 hit the United States. 
• How can hospitals and healthcare systems be better prepared for future pandemic outbreaks in the United States?
• How do we design hospitals in the future, and existing hospitals so we have facilities that allow various types of patients (including those with COVID-19) to get the care they need)?
• What was Jennifer surprised about in the aftermath of the pandemic and how hospitals have responded?
• Are hospital clients and partners now more open to making changes than they were prior to pandemic.
• To what extent do healthcare architects have a moral obligation to educate their clients on the best safety and infectious disease prevention protocols, even if that means it might threaten their relationship with their client in some way.
• Why Jennifer regrets not bringing the infectious disease control issue to the forefront to her colleagues, prior to the pandemic.
• What does designing for an infectious world now look like from Jennifer’s seat?
• Why are virtual office visits on the rise?
• What inspired and nurtured Jennifer over the years to remain at Shepley Bulfinch?
• How have hospitals and healthcare facilities evolved over the years Jennifer has been at her firm?
• Learn about the history of Shepley Bulfinch and how it transitioned from all white men to to a firm that is woman led and women owned.
• How does Shepley Bulfinch challenge convention?
• What was unique about the firm’s Dartmouth-Hitchcock health care system and what big design innovation did they apply to the project?

This program is brought to you by Porcelanosa who extend their heartfelt appreciation for your support of this podcast. Stay safe and be well. To learn more about Porcelanosa, visit http://porcelanosa.com.

Thank you to our industry partner, The Center for Health Design. To learn more about CHD’s new program MakingRoom, Connecting hotels and hospitals with urgent needs for space, please visit, https://www.healthdesign.org/makingroom.

Additional support for this podcast comes from our industry partners:

• The American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers
• The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design

Learn more about how to become a Certified Healthcare Interior Designer®  by visiting the American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers at: https://aahid.org/.

Connect to a community interested in supporting clinician involvement in design and construction of the built environment by visiting The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design at https://www.nursingihd.com/.