Experience
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2024 — Now Founder at Grama Care Consulting
Atlanta, GA
- Led visioning, planning, and conceptual design for a transitional maternity home in Atlanta, GA.
- Led visioning and master planning for a health and wellness campus in Muskegon Heights, Michigan.
- Principal Investigator on project "Care Happens in the Community - A Participatory Research Approach to Developing Birth Center Design Guidelines" funded by the American Association of Birth Centers Foundation.
- Led schematic design, design development, and construction documentation packages for residential projects in Atlanta, GA.
- Served as the lead facilitator for user group meetings, developed meeting agendas, and updated drawings to incorporate user feedback.
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2024 — 2025 Project Manager & Strategist at Cactus
Atlanta, GA
- Project management of a preventative healthcare and longevity clinic in Abu Dhabi, UAE, across varied disciplines: architectural design, wayfinding, brand development, website redesign, and digital product development for 3 digital products.
- Served as the primary contact for client leads, maintaining consistent, reliable communication on the day-to-day progress of deliverables.
- Strategy development for digital touchpoints for a large healthcare system in Atlanta, GA.
- Collaborated with leadership to unlock $1.8 million in add-on scopes across workstreams.
- Drafted scopes of work, built project resource plans, and managed resource utilization against project plans.
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2021 — 2024 Designer & Researcher at Perkins&Will
Atlanta, GA
- Assisted in preparing the schematic design, design development, and construction documentation packages for the expansion and renovation of a patient tower of a major health system in Lawrenceville, GA
- Assisted in preparing the schematic design package for the renovation of a women’s health department of a major health system in Atlanta, GA
- Assisted in master planning, conceptual design, feasibility assessment, and spatial data benchmarking for two campuses of a major healthcare system in Atlanta, GA
- Coordinated with diverse consultants across MEP, structural, and dietary functions
- Participated in user group meetings, developed meeting notes, and updated drawings to incorporate user feedback
- Assisted senior leadership with developing the project narrative and proposal for a behavioral health crisis diversion facility
- Recipient of the Innovation Incubator grant at Perkins&Will and served as the co-investigator of a study titled “Falling Through The Cracks- Reimagining Post-Acute Care”
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2021 — 2022 E. Todd Wheeler Health Fellow at Perkins&Will
Atlanta, GA
- Conducted qualitative research on healing environments for patients with behavioral health needs in the Emergency Department
- Presented findings at EDRA53, Clemson University 2022 International Nursing Conference for Excellence in Healthcare Design and internal Perkins&Will Healthcare COE calls
- Worked with studio leadership to advance healthcare design, creative thought, and applied research through speaking engagements, research articles, and perspective pieces on the Perkins&Will blog
- Research study was the recipient of the Joel Polsky Prize from the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID)
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2019 — 2021 Research Assistant at Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
- Supported research and development efforts of principal investigator Dr. Mardelle McCuskey Shepley by cataloging data and research into databases
- Assisted principal investigator with coordinating and citing relevant sources
- Prepared materials for submission to peer-reviewed journal publications
2020 — 2021 Teaching Assistant at Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
- Assisted instructors with course delivery, and prepared presentations and materials for in-class lectures and studio sessions
- Conducted design software workshops for students, facilitated virtual workshops, graded assignments
- Courses taught - DEA 1110 (Summer 2020, Winter 2021), BIOG 4980 (Spring 2021), FSAD 2660 (Spring 2020), DEA 1500 (Fall 2020)
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2019 — 2020 Graphic Designer at Cornell Institute of Healthy Futures
Ithaca, NY
- Developed program brochures and agenda for biannual round table sessions
- Developed design strategy for marketing packages, including print materials, banners, and newsletters for outreach to potential member organizations
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2017 — 2019 Junior Architect at Total Alliance Health Partners International (TAHPI)
Dubai, UAE
- Assisted in the design development, construction documentation, and submittal packages for 4 projects in the Middle East and South Asia region
- Assisted in the schematic design of 21 Cancer Care Centre prototypes for Assam
- Cancer Care Foundation in collaboration with TATA Trusts
- Assisted the Regional Director in developing materials for the International Health Facility Guidelines (iHFG)- healthfacilityguidelines.com/
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2016 — 2016 Intern Architect at Vertigo Design LLC
Dubai, UAE
- Assisted in the conceptual and design development for an interior fit-out of a prefabricated hospital in India; master planning of an industrial park in India
Education
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2019 — 2021 Master of Science at Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
- Master of Science in Design + Health, minor in Human Development, GPA - 3.9
- Honored as the 2022 Cornell University Graduate School Degree Marshall, awarded annually to the most academically distinguished student
- Recipient of full tuition-based scholarship for Teaching Assistantships
- Other scholarships - K.C. Mahindra Scholar, AIA-AAH Arthur N. Tuttle Graduate Fellowship, Patricia J. Harris Memorial IFMA Scholarship, Women Entrepreneurship Cornell cohort '20-'21, Epperson Entrepreneurship Fellow
- Student contributor to the FGI Recommended Standards for NICU Design
- President, D+EA Graduate Student Association
- Design Chair, Cornell University Healthy Futures Graduate Chapter (CUHFG)
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2012 — 2017 Bachelor of Architecture at National Institute of Technology, Calicut
Calicut, India
- Graduated in the Top 5% of Class
- Undergraduate thesis received the highest grade in the cohort
- Nominated for National Awards for Excellence in Architectural Thesis
Awards & Recognitions
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2024 Research Grant from the American Association of Birth Centers Foundation
Awarded research grant from the American Association of Birth Centers Foundation for a study titled “Care Happens in the Community: A Participatory Research Approach to Developing Birth Center Design Guidelines”
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2023 Joel Polsky Prize from the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID)
Awarded the Joel Polsky Prize by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID)
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2023 Innovation Incubator grant from Perkins&Will
Awarded the Innovation Incubator grant at Perkins&Will and served as the co-investigator of a study titled “Falling Through The Cracks- Reimagining Post-Acute Care”
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2021 E. Todd Wheeler Health Fellowship from Perkins&Will
Recipient of the E. Todd Wheeler Health Fellowship at Perkins&Will for a study titled “Care in the Time of Crisis: Designing for Patients with Behavioral Health Needs in the Emergency Department”
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2021 Arthur N. Tuttle Jr. Fellowship from AIA-AAH
Awarded the AIA-AAH Arthur N. Tuttle Jr. Fellowship for a study titled “Understanding The Couplet Care Environmental Model And Its Effect On Bonding Between Mother And Infant”
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2021 Patricia J. Harris Memorial Scholarship from IFMA
Awarded the Patricia J. Harris Memorial Scholarship from IFMA
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2021 Epperson Entrepreneurship Fund from the Center for Regional Economic Advancement
Recipient of the Epperson Entrepreneurship Fund by the Center for Regional Economic Advancement
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2021 Degree Marshall from Cornell University
Honored as the 2022 Cornell University Graduate School Degree Marshall, awarded annually to the most academically distinguished student
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2019 K.C. Mahindra Scholarship from KCMET
Recipient of K.C. Mahindra Scholarship from KCMET, India
Speaking
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2023 - Reinventing Health, Hospitality and Design Symposium at CIHF Industry Roundtable
Ithaca, NY
- Roundtable Participant, CIHF Industry Scholar
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2022 - Reimagining Behavioral Emergency Environments at National Update on Behavioral Emergencies Conference
Scottsdale, AZ
- Workshop Facilitator, Organizing Committee
- Planned and facilitated human-centered and lean-process-infused workshops bringing together process consultants, clinicians, healthcare designers, and students
- Worked alongside participants to prototype environments in an interactive format
- Facilitated efforts to bring diverse voices and clinical insights to the FGI guideline development process
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San Antonio, TX
- Presenter, AIA-AAH Arthur N. Tuttle Jr. Fellow
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Greenville, SC
- Co-presenter, Sabah Mohammed and Marvina Williams
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2022 - Reimagining Career Pathways For Emerging Professionals in Research-Informed Practice at Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) - Health in All Design
Greenville, SC
- Co-presenter, Sabah Mohammed, Kinjal Shah, Neha Rampuria and Kalpana Kuttaiah
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Clearwater, FL
- Poster Presenter, Workshop Facilitator
- Poster presentation at the annual Gravens Conference in 2021 and 2022
- Planned and facilitated human-centered and lean-process-infused workshops bringing together process consultants, clinicians, healthcare designers, and students
- Worked alongside participants to prototype environments in an interactive format
- Facilitated efforts to bring diverse voices and clinical insights to the FGI guideline development process
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2022 - Internal Presentations at Perkins&Will
- Presenter, Innovation Incubator firmwide presentation, Perkins&Will, May 2023
- Presenter, Design Review- Balkrishna Doshi, Perkins&Will Atlanta, Mar 2023
- Co-presenter, Boston Design Discussions, Perkins&Will Atlanta, Aug 2022
- Co-presenter, Healthcare Center of Excellence, Perkins&Will firmwide, Jul 2022
- Co-presenter, Healthcare Center of Excellence, Perkins&Will firmwide, Apr 2022
Writing
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2022 - 988 is here: it’s time to respond, Perkins&Will Insights Blog
- Healthcare Design for a Comprehensive Continuum of Care
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Teaching
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2023 Guest Lecturer at Cornell University
- DEA 5305 - Health & Healing Studio led by Dr. Mardelle McCuskey Shepley
- Invited to present graduate research on the Couplet Care Environmental Model in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
- Participated as a juror for the final project review
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2023 Guest Lecturer at Yale University
- 1104 Advanced Design Studio - Designing Delivery led by Kim Holden and Emily Abruzzo
- Invited to present research on the Couplet Care Environmental Model in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
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2023 Guest Lecturer at Texas State University
- ID 4324 Studio IV Contemporary Design Issues led by Dr. Intisar Ameen Tyne and Dr. Asha Latha Hegde Niezgoda
- Invited to present research on ‘Reimagining Acute Behavioral Health’ and embedding research in practice
- Invited to participate as a juror for the schematic design review and final review
Certifications
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2022 - WELL AP from the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI)
WELL-AP-0000130594
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2022 - LEED Green Associate from U.S. Green Building Council
11475576-GREEN-ASSOCIATE
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2021 - Evidence-Based Design Accreditation and Certification (EDAC) from The Center for Health Design
CHD-200741
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2018 - Health Facility Planning from Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
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2018 - Registered Architect from Council of Architecture - India
CA/2018/90729
Volunteering
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2022 — Now
Contributing member of the Health Guidelines Revision Committee
Women's and Children's Health environments expert
Outpatient Document Group- Behavioral Health Task Group
Co-author of Recommended Standards for NICU Design
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2021 — Now
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2021 — Now
Facilitator for Reimagining workshops - R-NICU and R-Behavioral Health Emergency Environments
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2022 — Now
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2022 — 2023
Volunteer at Women in Healthcare, Georgia Chapter
Institutional Liaison Committee
Emerging Leader 2022
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2020 — 2021
Volunteer at IFMA, NY Chapter
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2019 — 2021
Fundraising Coordinator at Asha for Education, Ithaca, NY
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2016 — 2016
Volunteer at Dubai Design Week, UAE
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2015 — 2016
Volunteer at Compassionate Kozhikode, India