CHID, EDAC, IIDA, ASID, principal, director of health interiors

CannonDesign (Chicago)

Mission statement: “Working through complex challenges and putting all the pieces together into one cohesive project—that’s what I really love about designing in healthcare. On each project, there’s always something new that presents itself that you’ve never encountered before. There aren’t many people who can say that about something they’ve done their entire career.”

Who she is: As director of health interiors, Stroupe develops and integrates the healthcare interiors within CannonDesign’s global health practice. Recently, she was named co-leader of the firm’s pediatric subject matter expert team, where she focuses on developing thought leadership and knowledge sharing while also mentoring emerging leaders in pediatric design. She serves as the Chicago ambassador for CannonDesign’s Women’s Forum, an internal group that furthers equity and inclusiveness.

Year in review: Stroupe’s 30-year career has included a variety of project typologies, ranging in size and scope, and the last 12 months are no exception. Serving as interior design principal, she was instrumental in the 3.5-million-square-foot Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), one of the largest healthcare projects recently constructed in North America; a replacement facility for Nantucket Cottage Hospital, in Nantucket Island, Mass., the design of which emphasizes connections to nature and the natural beauty of the remote island locale; and Kettering Cancer Center, in Kettering, Ohio, where she collaborated with a 30-member council to understand the unique perspective of the patient population and incorporate their experiences into the new center.

Industry impact: Her work at CHUM is a striking reminder that limited budget and material resources shouldn’t limit creativity or produce institutionalized settings. Instead, using a vibrant color palette on the clinical floors to aid in wayfinding as well as break up the facility’s size, her work enhances the patient experience and helps raise the bar for public healthcare facility design. For the 126,00-square-foot Kettering Cancer Center, Stroupe focused on materiality and detailing to create an upscale environment for patients from arrival to departure. Metrics show her ideas work—within one year of opening, Kettering’s market share grew, employee engagement improved from the 54th to 70th percentile, and patient satisfaction is now in the 90th percentile.

What’s next: She has several projects on the boards, including the Women and Children’s Tower for Dignity Health in Phoenix, a partnership between Dignity Health and Phoenix Children’s Hospital that will bring the two systems together to establish a new specialized service for women and children in one building.