My paternal Grandmother, Gudrun Cecilia Antonia Anderson Johanson is the reason I am so passionate about healthcare.  

Having moved frequently as a child, my environment became very important to me.  I was 19 when my elderly grandmother was volunteered to look after me while my parents were living & working overseas. I never imaged the then-undiagnosed dementia my grandmother suffered from would help shape my future career. Her fears and fragility made a mark on my soul and created a passion for design for older adults and healthcare spaces.

I was fortunate to start my career years ago with a private hospital having a senior patient focus and residential care facilities. Work for design firms and my own consulting followed with design work education, acute and residential care. 

Early in the pandemic I went to work for the City of Hope National Medical Center, a not-for-profit research, hospital and graduate medical school in Duarte, California.  It's an exciting place to be, with over $2b in construction projects in place.  It's an honor to be here where the main focus is on how we can help improve the experience of our patients and support our staff.