Webinar: Research Matters: 10 Picks for the Year

Ellen Taylor, PhD, AIA, MBA, EDAC 
Vice President for Research 
The Center for Health Design

Ellen brings 30 years of experience in architecture, research, and business to leading The Center’s research team. She is a registered architect and member of the American Institute of Architects who was recognized by Healthcare Design as the HCD10 Researcher in 2017, an award recognizing significant contributions to the industry.  A nationally and internationally recognized writer and speaker, she has been influential in guiding Pebble Partner projects and leading grant-funded research programs supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Kresge Foundation, and the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), and others.

As both a consultant and owner, Ellen has been responsible for conducting built environment design research, as well as large-scale program management and extensive cross-departmental coordination. Ellen has a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning, Global Executive MBA degrees from Columbia University and London Business School, and a PhD in design, patient safety and human factors from Loughborough University in England. She is the Vice Chair for FGI's Health Guidelines Revisions Committee (HGRC) and serves on the HGRC Executive Committee of the Steering Committee. She also serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Health Environments Research & Design (HERD) Journal and the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC). Ellen is currently a board member for the AIA Academy of Architecture for Health Knowledge Community.

Addie Abushousheh, PhD, Assoc. AIA, EDAC
Research Associate 
The Center for Health Design

Addie Abushousheh is a gerontologist, researcher, and consultant for organizational and environmental development in long-term care. She explores cultural and bio-psycho-social perspectives, organizational structures and processes, physical environments, workforce models, and regulatory and financial frameworks in relation to decision making, resource management, and quality improvement. With combined expertise in architecture, organizational development, aging and applied research, Dr. Abushousheh advances comprehensive and translational agendas related to quality assessment and performance improvement. Addie is a Research Associate with The Center for Health Design, an Adjunct Faculty member at Kent State University, and a Senior Living Advisor for Abacus Institute.

Melissa Piatkowski, M.S., EDAC 
Research Associate
The Center for Health Design

As a part of The Center's research team, Melissa focuses her efforts on grant-funded research initiatives, as well as supporting ongoing work of The Center, such as the Affiliate+ program, the Knowledge Repository, and the Evidence Based Design Accreditation and Certification (EDAC) program.  She examines the impact of the built environment on health through the development of conceptual models that link design and outcomes and by evaluating the effects of evidence-based design innovations and by disseminating research findings through tools, presentations, and publications.

Melissa was previously a senior design researcher for Davis Partnership Architects and prior to that she served as a researcher with the OMNI Institute and the Center for Children, Youth & Environments at the University of Colorado. With a background in both architecture and social science, Melissa describes her research style as “boots on the ground with a knack for rigor.”