Wayne Ruga

Full-time fall 1998
and spring 1999.

Photo by Doug Cogger.

Wayne Ruga is president, CEO, and founder of The Center for Health Design, a nonprofit, non-membership organization in California whose mission is to promote the development of life-enhancing environments through educational programs, research, and publications.

Trained as an architect and interior designer, Ruga is the leading advocate and spokesperson for life-enhancing healthcare facility design and construction, which accounts for nearly $15 billion spent in the U.S. annually. Since 1988, he has traveled the world over to talk with healthcare consumers, executives, and design professionals about the less than satisfactory physical condition of our nation's hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes; and how thoughtful design can affect the quality of healthcare by improving therapeutic outcomes, enhancing staff productivity, increasing family and visitor involvement, and broadening community support. In
addition, Ruga's annual Symposium on Healthcare Design, brings together 1,500 healthcare executives, practitioners, design professionals, and product manufacturers to talk about these issues. The Center serves a network of 30,000 such individuals worldwide.

Ruga is the recipient of the 1996 Design for Humanity Award from the American Society of Interior Designers; a Presidential Citation from the International Society of Interior Design; and a Service Award from the Environmental Design Research Association. He has been featured in design and healthcare publications and is a frequent contributor to books and magazines, including Innovations in Healthcare Design (Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1995) and Healthcare Design (John Wiley & Son, 1996).