Name: Blair L. Sadler

Award: Most Influential People in Healthcare Design, 2009

Then and now: Senior fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (La Jolla, Calif.)

What he’s been up to: Served as strategic advisor to Health Care Without Harm to design the Healthier Hospitals Initiative, which more than 1,400 hospitals have enrolled in; co-authored articles on sustainable healthcare design for industry journals, including an article in the Commonwealth Fund Brief about savings associated with adopting low-cost environmental improvements; and delivered keynote speeches on the Fable Hospital, sustainability, and healthcare design in Australia, Brazil, and London.

What’s one of the biggest changes you’ve seen in the design of healthcare spaces since you won your award, and how has it affected what you do?

Environmental health has moved from the fringe of healthcare design to the mainstream as climate change has been recognized as a major public health problem. I try to make the clear connection between architectural design and the environment in all my presentations.

What’s on your radar screen in 2016?

Writing about the impact of the Healthier Hospitals Initiative and serving on the Health Care Without Harm Board.

What he said in 2010: I hope that, someday, every hospital will provide environments that actually help people recover and achieve their full potential.

What he says now: I believe many more hospitals now recognize and even embrace this goal. Architects and healthcare leaders need to work more closely together in achieving this objective and recognize the significant cost savings that can be realized through evidence-based design using the Fable Hospital methodology.

For more Q+As with past recipients of Healthcare Design’s professional awards programs, check out “Master Class.”