The 2026 Healthcare Design Conference + Expo, Oct. 17-20 in New Orleans, features more than 100 educational sessions, keynotes, interactive roundtables, facility tours, and more.
Educational sessions are spread across 13 tracks, based on themes and topics that are top of mind for many architects, designers, engineers, owners and operators, and other industry professionals. Those tracks include three that are new for 2026: Technology & Innovation, Design Forward, and an International Federation of Healthcare Engineering (IFHE) track for attendees who are registered for both the HCD Conference + Expo and the colocated IFHE World Congress.
Here’s a look at some of sessions offered in the three new tracks.
The current H2 track names may be too brief for search visibility. Please expand them to include conference-related keywords, such as “HCD Conference + Expo Design Forward Session Track” or a similar format.
HCD Conference + Expo Design Forward Session Track
Sunday, Oct. 18
2-3 p.m.
E25 – Beyond Healthcare: Designing the Future Through Cross-Industry Innovation
Speakers: Dave Kistel, vice president and chief facilities executive, Lee Health; Tatiana Guimaraes, healthcare practice leader, Gensler; Ty Osbaugh, global aviation practice leader, principal, Gensler; W. Scotte MacQueen, mission critical market leader, Gensler
In this session, attendees will gain insights into practical pathways to enhance patient experience, improve operations, and create more adaptable healthcare spaces. Leaders in logistics, aviation, and critical facilities will explore the trends reshaping their markets—and how these forces can inform the next generation of healthcare design.
Tuesday, Oct. 20
9:30-10:30 a.m.
E81 – Healing the Healers and the City: Art as Clinical Infrastructure in the Nation’s Largest Public Health System
Speakers: Ryan Patrick, director of public art, arts in medicine, NYC Health + Hospitals; Marcel Foster, CEO and co-founder, Performance Hypothesis
Designed for architects, designers, and planners, this presentation will illustrate how modest investments in art yield returns through improved patient satisfaction, workforce retention, and community trust—offering a framework for integrating visual art as a scalable, cost-effective tool for equity and whole-person care.
1:15-2:15 p.m.
E89 – It’s NOT an MOB: Designing the Hospital Without Beds
Speakers: Jonathan Bykowski, president, Array Advisors; Stephanie Story, principal, director of interior design, Array Architects; Derek Tasch, health system architect, University of Pennsylvania Health System
This session will examine the shift from traditional medical office buildings (MOBs) to next-generation ambulatory care centers capable of supporting complex, end-to-end care trajectories without inpatient admission. Examples will be shared from Penn Medicine’s Montgomeryville Multispecialty Outpatient Care Facility as a case study.
HCD Conference + Expo Technology & Innovation Track
Sunday, Oct. 18
11 a.m.-noon
E18 – Designing Tomorrow’s Care: Post-Move Evaluation of the Hospital of the Future
Speakers: Eliane De Lima, technical director, Page, now Stantec; Laurie Waggener, health research lead, Page, now Stantec; Sherrill Lanthier, construction planning coordinator, Houston Methodist Cypress Hospital; Zac Hillyard, principal, Smith Seckman Reid Inc. (SSR)
In this session, attendees will gain insights from a post-occupancy evaluation on a newly constructed hospital that integrated advanced digital technologies to enhance staff efficiency, patient safety, and clinician resilience. Findings highlight the role of intentional digital design in supporting frontline clinicians and aligning technology, workflow, and the built environment to address workforce sustainability.
Monday, Oct. 19
9:30-10:30 a.m.
E54 – Stop Dreaming and Start Doing – Real-World Technology Integration and Supporting Future Innovations
Speakers: Nicole Bansavage, director of patient care, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory Healthcare; Amy Breakstone, director, program development, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory Healthcare; Anthony Treu, associate director, global healthcare practice leader, Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM); Gil May, founding principal, May Architecture
Speakers will share a real-world case study in technology integration. Through multiple lenses, this session will reveal how infrastructure, workflows, and space can be aligned with technology solutions to support evolving care models, the patient and staff experience, and research innovation.
Tuesday, Oct. 20
1:15-2:15 p.m.
E94 – AI: A New Partner in Healthcare Design — From Conceptual Design Through Occupancy
Speakers: Nilay Deshmukh, senior associate, senior medical planner, NBBJ; Steph Altavilla, senior director for transition and occupancy planning, Boston Children’s Hospital
This session will explore how artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled tools can optimize design decisions with clinical operations, improving outcomes while reducing risk. Predictive modeling and AI-supported workflow analysis will demonstrate how patient, staff, and material flows can be evaluated early, helping teams identify inefficiencies and operational risks before they are embedded in design.
HCD Conference + Expo International Federation of Healthcare Engineering Track
Sunday, Oct. 18
2:30-3 p.m.
Two Hemispheres, One Patient: A Global Conversation on the Future of Healthcare Design
Speakers: Fabio Bitencourt, architecture professor, second vice president of IFHE; A. Ray Pentecost, George J. Mann Chair in Healthcare Design; director, Center for Health Systems & Design, Texas A&M University School of Architecture
In this candid cross-continental dialogue, two architects will compare lessons learned from North and South America to explore where healthcare design is heading next. Drawing on decades of practice, research, and global advisory work, the speakers will examine how human-centered design, sustainability, resilience, and emerging technologies are reshaping the patient experience worldwide.
Monday, Oct. 19
9:45-10:45 a.m.
Healthcare Facilities for the Future: Lessons from Japan
Speakers: Shiro Nitanai, architect; Ruka Kosuge, professor, School of Architecture, Shibaura Institute of Technology
Attendees will learn how Japanese healthcare organizations are adapting their facilities for chronic care, community-based care, and patient-centered environments. Topics will cover resilient infrastructure, infection control planning, lifecycle cost management, and sustainable operations in response to demographic change.
Tuesday, Oct. 20
8:45-9:15 a.m.
Read the Label: What’s Really Inside Healthcare Finishes
Speakers: Linnea Rehnke, manager of capital projects, planning, design, and construction, Advocate Health; Benjamin Wojcikiewicz, senior director of sustainability, sales and client engagement, Mohawk Industries
This session will explore how material health, indoor air quality, and reduced manufacturing waste provide a more complete view of product value. Attendees will gain insights on how these factors create healthier environments while supporting long-term sustainability and performance.
More details on the session agenda can be found here.