Dear Academy of Architecture for Health members,
It is both humbling and invigorating to serve as the 2026 president of the AIA Academy of Architecture for Health. A big thank you to those preceding me during my tenure on the board—Ellen Taylor, Kenneth Webb, Michelle Trott, and Southern Ellis. Their leadership has been inspirational and leaves big footsteps to fill.
As I reflect on and share the importance of the AAH to the greater health care design community, I am struck by the organization’s longevity and impact. Along with our pillar organizations—the American College of Healthcare Architects (ACHA), The Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI), the Foundation for Health Environments Research (FHER), The Center for Health Design (CHD) and Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design (NIHD), the Academy has long served the healthcare design community by creating opportunities for networking, providing educational avenues for design students and seasoned professionals, recognizing individuals and firms for exemplary contributions, and continuing to provide opportunities to share thought leadership and practice innovation. The current board members and our dedicated committee leaders look forward to continuing these commitments and the requisite tasks throughout the coming year.
In 2026, we are emphasizing the themes of relevancy and resilience. We aim to grow our membership by addressing the current challenges in our practices while also embracing the values and concerns that resonate with our emerging professionals. We continue to align our work with the DEI initiative of the AIA–creating inclusive opportunities in education and programming within our organization, as well as promoting equity in stakeholder engagement and access to care within the communities we serve. We will continue to promote design excellence in medical planning and healthcare design by elevating the visibility of our design awards program.
Our theme of resilience is from the broad perspective of maintaining the ability to adapt to change and thrive. We will create new opportunities for the individuals that volunteer and serve the AAH organization. We will serve as an educational resource to assist design practitioners and health care providers in developing sustainable business and environmental practices. We will align our initiatives with the AIA climate action plan in areas that have a direct correlation to public health and healthy communities—promoting carbon reduction, advocating for sustainable building solutions, championing resilience strategies in health systems planning, and endorsing adaptive strategies that improve community health and access equity.
2026 will be a year of fostering mental and physical well-being that begins with the individual and extends to our organizations, practices, and the cities and communities that we serve. It will be a year of expanding our reach and bringing in new talent as we continue to learn from the many wise and experienced leaders that currently serve as our mentors and colleagues. Although we are amid challenging and complicated times, we will create opportunity from adversity through meaningful action and continuous engagement.
Please join with us for a robust dialogue throughout the coming year!
Sincerely,
Pierce McVey, AIA, LEED AP
2026 AAH President