The 2026 Healthcare Design Conference + Expo kicked off in “The Big Easy” at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, with a day packed with keynote and educational sessions, the Healthcare Design magazine Awards Luncheon, an opening reception in the expo hall, and a variety of educational sessions.
Here are some highlights from Day 1. For more details and the full schedule, visit hcdexpo.com.
Richard Heinzl discusses AI during opening keynote
Richard Heinzl, founder of the Canadian division of Doctors Without Borders (Toronto) and chief executive officer of My Next Health (MNH; New York), kicked off this year’s conference with the opening keynote, “AI, Genomics, and You: Inspiring New Innovations in Healthcare Technology.”
During his presentation, Heinzl encouraged attendees to embrace the change brought by innovations in technology such as artificial intelligence and genomics.
“However it unfolds, there’s one thing that’s certain: AI is going to cause some disruption. It will transform every role in your industry … how hospitals are designed, how clinics operate, how labs work, how research is conducted, and how the next generation is educated,” he said. “Most importantly, it’s going to change how patients engage with healthcare systems.”
Heinzl also cautioned that rapidly expanding AI applications need close monitoring and regulation. “Safety must be prioritized. We must harness these extraordinary benefits, but we have to build robust guardrails around them.”
Award winners take the HCD Conference stage
HCD celebrated several of its annual awards programs on stage during today’s Magazine Awards Luncheon, including the winners of Healthcare its 2026 Design Showcase, Remodel/Renovation Competition, and Rising Star awards.
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Rising Star winners honored. Now in its ninth year, the annual Rising Star Awards program celebrates emerging professionals in healthcare design whose contributions and fresh perspectives are helping move the industry forward. “This industry has given me a much deeper understanding of what it really means to design for care, not just the buildings, but also the human experience unfolding inside them … This is just the start of my journey in healthcare design, and I’m very excited for what’s next,” said Hao Zhong, architect at EwingCole, during his acceptance speech.
Added Rising Star Justine Baltessen, senior interior designer at HDR, on stage: “Public healthcare facilities demand extraordinary spatial logic and technical rigor, but above all, they require compassion for every patient, nurse, and family member walking through the doors … let’s keep building better healing spaces.”
NIHD DAISY Award. The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design (NIHD; Saint Cloud, Minnesota) and The DAISY Foundation (Glen Ellen, California) presented Annette Roehl, nurse and healthcare facilities design strategist at Froedtert ThedaCare Health (Milwaukee), with the 2026 DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurse Leader in Healthcare Design. Over the past year, Roehl has worked on the Froedtert Hospital expansion in Wauwatosa, Wis., a project that includes a new patient tower, lobby, and parking structure designed to support growth and transform care delivery for the community.
Earlier this year, Roehl was named the HCD 10 Clinician in Healthcare Design’s annual HCD 10 awards.
Speaker Insights From HCD Conference and Expo
A variety of educational sessions ran throughout Day 1. Here are some notable quotes from speakers:
“Documenting lessons learned isn’t something that should take place after ribbon cutting. … It’s really our
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responsibility throughout the process.”—Christine Sheng, client director at Rogers O’Brien Construction (Austin, Texas), during the session “Research-informed Design for Equitable, High-performing Clinics.”
“Decarbonization is a journey. Small steps can have a big impact,” said Joss Hurford, building performance consultant at Affiliated Engineers Inc. (Madison, Wisconsin), during the session “Old and New: An Owner’s Perspective on Decarbonizing Healthcare Campuses.” “If you’re making decisions today, make sure you’re not boxing yourself in.”
“This is all about relationships. We are not just dropping these buildings into a neighborhood. We are having to integrate.” —Angela Mazzi, principal, senior medical planner, GBBN Architects, during the session “Bringing the Bespoke to Hub-and-Spoke – Reinventing the Pediatric Multi-location Strategy,” on the importance of careful integration of satellite clinics into a community.
Don’t miss these Day 2 highlights
Day 2 brings two more keynote sessions, plus educational sessions covering a variety of topics and plenty of time on the expo floor to explore new products. The day wraps up with “The Big Easy Social” networking party at Mardi Gras World. The event runs from 6 to 9 p.m. and features food, drinks and entertainment.
Industry Panel, Monday, Oct. 19, 8 to 9:15 a.m. Day 2’s keynote programming kicks off with a panel discussion featuring Healthcare Design Brand Director Jennifer Silvis and a lineup of healthcare design professionals. The panelists will dig into the pressing issues and opportunities facing the industry today.
Breaking Through Competition, Monday, Oct. 19, 2:15 to 3:30 p.m. Don’t miss the final round of Healthcare Design’s biennial Breaking Through conceptual design competition. Four finalist teams, from EwingCole, Perkins&Will, SmithGroup, and STV, Inc., will present their concepts live on stage. Audience members vote for their favorite in real time, and the team with the most votes takes home the $10,000 prize.
Attendees can also check out the Breaking Through gallery boards inside the expo hall, near the HCD booth (#2853). The displays feature concept details and graphics from the finalists as well as this year’s 16 semifinalists.
More news from the 2026 HCD Conference + Expo
Look for more coverage of the 2026 HCD Conference and Expo in Healthcare Design’s November/December issue. For more conference news and updates, go here.