Our team recently had the pleasure of attending the 2025 Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo hosted in San Diego. It was a pleasure to hear from and speak with health care and architectural leaders from around the country, all focused on building healthcare facilities that are patient-focused and future-oriented.
Here are three of our top takeaways from the event that apply directly to the work we do here at Vantage:
Key Takeaways
Innovation in planning, construction and collaboration can overcome even the most complex healthcare renovation challenges.
For example, how can project teams efficiently complete a renovation around an operating and vital medical facility such as an emergency department? Speakers from UCLA Health, LEO A DALY and John A. Martin & Associates examined how every design and construction choice has to be carefully calibrated for safety, access, and operational continuity on the panel “Innovation: The Key to Complex Addition & Renovation within a Congested Active Hospital.”
Successful project outcomes depend on strong leadership and well-aligned governance.
Early clarity around roles, structures, and partnership alignment set the foundation for collaboration. Leaders who are self-aware, inclusive, and focused on problem-solving create trust and accountability, while poor leadership behaviors can quickly derail progress. Thanks to USC Health System’s Geri Pahed, CBRE Turner and Townsend’s Serj Eyvazian and UCI Health’s Paul Da Veiga for sharing these insights during the engaging panel, “Leadership Impacts and Governance for Managing Complex Partnership Projects.”
Some of the incredible speakers at the Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo. See below for more information.
When it comes to modern medical facilities, architecture isn’t just architecture.
It’s the backbone of a system that supports healing by fostering a human-centered environment where patients, families and clinicians feel cared for and inspired. City of Hope’s new Hope Plaza was a great example of building empathy into design, where patient choice and clinician efficiency take center stage. This was a key focus of the panel “Where Hope Grows: Designing City of Hope’s Environment for Whole-Person Healing.”
We are proud to be part of this wonderful community and look forward to sharing more insights in the future!
This post was authored by Senior Business Development and Marketing Specialist, Jessica Estrada, and Senior Consultant, Sarah Norwood who brings an extensive background in healthcare and technology to her work with clients on strategic operations in project management, strategic planning, data analysis, and process improvement.
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Top image, from left to right: Sarvine Ashkan of LEO A DALY, Mike Chen of UCLA Health, Steven Powell of LEO DALY, Kimberly Pacheco of John A. Martin & Associates, Steven Henrich of LEO A DALY
Middle image, from left to right: Serj Eyvazian of Turner & Townsend, Paul Da Veiga of UCI Health, and Geri Pahed of the USC Health System
Bottom image, from left to right: Ash Gharib of Co Architects, Gina Chang of Co Architects, Arnold Swanborn of Co Architects, and Phan Luc City of Hope