The Academy’s Board directs its activities with the cooperation of an International Advisory Board.

The Academy’s Board is composed of the following:

Prof. Per Gunnar Svensson, Ph.D. Sweden, President of the Academy
Prof. Romano Del Nord, Italy, Chair of Scientific Committee  
Prof. Alan Dilani, Ph.D. Sweden, Director General
Marc Sansom, MBA. U.K.  Marketing and Communications Director
Dr. John Zeisel, Ph.D. U.S.A. Chair of International Advisory Board
Prof. Yeunsook Lee, Ph.D. Korea. International Adviser
Prof. Jacqueline Vischer, Ph.D., Canada. International Adviser

 

Prof. Per Gunnar Svensson Ph.D, Sweden, President of the Academy

Professor Per Gunnar Svensson received his Ph.D. in Medicine from the Karolinska Institutet in 1974. He has a long career in the field of medicine with different universities, holding the position of professor and director of the Center for Public Health Research in the University of Karlstad, Sweden until 1998. Since 1998 Prof Svensson has been the director general of the International Hospital Federation, headquartered in London. He has also worked for seven years on behalf of the World Health Organisation as a scientist for health research in the European region. He is a professor in health service management and social sciences and as well as editor-in-chief and founder of the European Journal of Public Health. Professor Svensson has published some two hundred books, articles or reports in the areas of inequality, health and health service management.
 

Prof. Romano Del Nord, Italy, Chair of Scientific Committee

Romano Del Nord is professor at the University of Architecture in Florence, Italy and director of the Building Production Department. He serves as a director for The Interuniversity Research Center (TESIS), a research and teaching program on healthcare facilities. He is also engaged as a consultant for the Ministry of Public Health developing regulations and guidelines for hospital design. The center has conducted research on "wayfinding, humanisation, space pathologies" and the impact of new technology on the planning of healthcare facilities. He owns the architecture firm CSPE Architects in Florence, designing various types of healthcare facilities.

Prof. Alan Dilani, Ph.D. Sweden. General Director

Dr. Dilani is a founder and general director of the International Academy for Design and Health (IADH). He has been engaged worldwide in several universities in the field of Design and Health developing, Psychosocially Supportive Design Programs in both medical and design institutions. He holds a Ph.D. in Health Facility Design from the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm and a Masters of Architecture in Environmental Design from the Polytechnic of Turin, Italy. His research at Karolinska Institutet, Medical University is based on a multidisciplinary approach, leading to the new definition of design that not only fosters functional efficiency, but also improves health processes. He is the author of numerous articles and books in the field of design and health including, ‘Design and Care in Hospital Planning’, and is the editor of the book, ‘Design and Health - The Therapeutic Benefits of Design’. Professor Dilani is also the head of the research center for Design and Health in Stockholm.

Marc Sansom, MBA, UK, Marketing and Communications Director

Marc Sansom is marketing and communications director at the International Academy for Design and Health. Prior to joining the Academy, Marc worked for 12 years as an international business editor and journalist, primarily in the healthcare sector and has been responsible for the launch and strategic development of products and services across a range of media platforms, including magazines, web sites, conferences and awards. In particular, Marc has considerable experience and knowledge of issues relating to the design and procurement healthcare facilities, technology and services. In 2004, Marc also received an Executive MBA from the University of Hull, for which his thesis focused on the strategic development of procurement in the NHS. He also has a BA Hons Degree in Modern History, Economic History and Politics from Royal Holloway, University of London.

Dr. John Zeisel, USA, Chair of International Advisory Board

Dr. Zeisel is president of Hearthstone Alzheimer Care, a company with its headquarters in Lexington, Massachusetts that manages assisted living treatment residences for people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. In 1998, Dr Zeisel was honoured with the Environment Design Research Association's (EDRA) Career Award for his contributions to design research. In the same year, he received the EDRA/Places research award for examining the effects of the physical environment on health and well-being of people with Alzheimer's disease Dr Zeisel received his Ph.D. in sociology from Columbia University and a Loeb Fellowship from Harvard University, School of Design. He is the author of ‘Inquiry by Design’, a standard reference in many architecture, design and social science courses.

Dr. Yeunsook Lee, Korea. International Adviser

Dr. Yeunsook Lee is professor and director of the Institute of Millennium Environmental Design and Research of Yonsei University, Korea. She was a member of the Presidential Commission for the New Millennium of ROK and is an advocate for high quality environments. As chair of the Preparatory Committee for the World Congress on Environmental Design for the New Millennium, Seoul in 2000 with 6,000 participants from 46 countries, she provided global opportunities for Eastern and Western wisdom to be shared and integrated to help create a socially, culturally and economically, more sustainable future for the world. She has received a Ph.D. in Housing and Interior Design from Oklahoma State University and been a recipient of the Fullbright Senior Reseacher Award. She is the author of ‘Interior Environment and Human Behavior’ and numerous books on design for the elderly and children of Korea.

Prof. Jacqueline C. Vischer, Canada. International Adviser

Dr. Jacqueline Vischer is a director at the Department of Interior Design, University of Montreal. The department's program focuses on the use of social research and user needs analysis in creating livable places. Dr Vischer is a psychologist and received her Ph.D. in Architecture, from the University of California, Berkeley. She is also president of Building-in-Use, an environmental design consulting group with offices in Montreal and Boston. Buildings-in-Use facilitates staff and organisational change while helping to create offices of the future for major public and private clients. She has published on this topic in numerous journals including the Harvard Business Review and MIT's Sloane Management Review. Vischer’s books include ‘Environmental Quality in Offices’ and ‘Workspace Strategies: Environment as a Toll for Work’.