Riding the wave of progress

I am honored to serve as the 2026 president of the American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE) and bring my experience to advance key initiatives this year. ASHE’s 2025-2027 Strategic Plan is a road map to level up the health care facilities management field and move the needle on our most persistent obstacles. This includes infusing the workforce with untapped talent and preparing facilities leaders with proven approaches to boost their efficacy and influence.

Part of equipping professionals to optimize daily operations is maximizing available resources. For example, the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is like an engine that powers a hospital’s maintenance activities. But for this engine to run at peak levels, it needs premium fuel — in other words, high-quality, normalized data. When standardized data is captured in a CMMS, it unlocks valuable insights across the facility, empowering users to make strategic decisions on processes ranging from preventive maintenance scheduling to capital equipment planning.

Speaking of strategy, we must embrace risk management as a core responsibility and an essential tool of the health care facilities management profession. We are called to “do less with less,” which requires a risk-based approach to ensure regulatory compliance; streamline asset management and planning and design processes; and maintain our focus on safety and operational continuity. I am working alongside ASHE to develop the latest volume in the Health Care Facilities Management Handbook Series on risk management this year to provide members with skills and perspectives to manage risk effectively in our facilities.

Meanwhile, the health care regulatory landscape is constantly shifting. While we’re still feeling the effects of recent regulatory shake-ups, the time is right to push for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ adoption of a more recent edition of the National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®. Hospitals have been under pressure to evolve rapidly over the last decade; the codes we abide by should keep pace.

I look forward to partnering with ASHE members to embrace these changes and lead from the front. These are stormy seas, and strong headwinds make for bigger waves. Let’s go forward boldly and surf those waves together!