Marcel Foster
CEO & Co-FounderPerformance HypothesisMarcel W. Foster, MPH, is CEO and Co-Founder of Performance Hypothesis, LLC, where he leads research and strategy at the intersection of health, creativity, and human performance. He is Affiliate Faculty at the Center for Arts in Medicine at the University of Florida and has contributed to global research on arts in health, emotional regulation, and well-being. Marcel’s work focuses on translating evidence into practical frameworks that inform healthcare design, patient experience, and human-centered environments.
E81 – Healing the Healers and the City: Art as Clinical Infrastructure in the Nation’s Largest Public Health System
In the nation's largest public health system, art is infrastructure. This session examines how NYC Health + Hospitals' Arts in Medicine department cur…In the nation's largest public health system, art is infrastructure. This session examines how NYC Health + Hospitals' Arts in Medicine department curates and commissions art across 11 hospitals and 35+ sites to support workforce resilience, patient …In the nation's largest public health system, art is infrastructure. This session examines how NYC Health + Hospitals' Arts in Medicine department curates and commissions art across 11 hospitals and 35+ sites to support workforce resilience, patient experience, and public health outcomes. Rooted in the 1930s WPA Federal Art Project, NYC H+H stewards 7,000+ works integrated into clinical environments. Through Curating for Health, the department tr…In the nation's largest public health system, art is infrastructure. This session examines how NYC Health + Hospitals' Arts in Medicine department curates and commissions art across 11 hospitals and 35+ sites to support workforce resilience, patient experience, and public health outcomes. Rooted in the 1930s WPA Federal Art Project, NYC H+H stewards 7,000+ works integrated into clinical environments. Through Curating for Health, the department treats the built environment as a public health intervention. The session highlights HHart of Medicine, an evidence-based art observation program developed with the Whitney and Brooklyn Museums that reduces staff burnout; and the Community Mural Project, which embeds collaborative "Healing Walls" to strengthen cultural representation and foster thereapeutic spaces. Designed for architects, designers, and planners, this presentation illustrates 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. Show MoreClick the title to see all detailsShow More
