Presidents' Letter

Dear Colleague,

The American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) of the American Hospital Association and the American Institute of Architects Academy of Architecture for Health (AIA/AAH) encourage you to attend the 2008 International Conference and Exhibition on Health Facility Planning, Design and Construction™ (PDC). The 2008 PDC boasts an exciting new format along with the same high-quality educational sessions as in past years. Topics and speakers were carefully chosen by the PDC Planning Committee to offer timely and accurate information from experienced and thought-provoking presenters.

The theme of this year’s Conference is The Business of Sustaining Our Future. We have dedicated an entire track to Sustainability issues, as well as two renowned speakers on the subject: Keynote Speaker Dr. David Suzuki and Plenary Speaker Andrew Winston.

One of the many enhancements made to the 2008 PDC is that this is an Environmentally Friendly Conference. We felt that it is important to follow the theme of the Conference and do our share to reduce the negative impact we may have on the environment. When you check-in at the Conference, you will receive a 1GB Flash Drive along with a portfolio for note taking. The Flash Drive contains all of the PDC PowerPoints and White Papers; we will not print any of the session handouts as we have done in the past as the majority of the handouts end up as waste. We will, however, email all attendees a link to the PowerPoints prior to the Conference if you would like to print yourself a copy for the sessions you plan to attend.

Another change to the Conference format is that the 2008 PDC begins on a Monday and the Opening Session will be that same evening followed by the Welcome Reception. We encourage you to attend with your family and this allows you to enjoy the entire weekend prior to the Conference discovering the great city of Orlando. Be sure to take advantage of the free shuttle service the Gaylord Palms Hotel offers to the nearby theme parks!

We are excited about the 2008 PDC Conference and, after reading through the program, we are sure you will be too. With the PDC growing each year we encourage you to register early and secure your spot!

Sincerely,


John R. Wood, CHFM, SASHE 2008 President - American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE)	Peter L. Bardwell, FAIA, FACHA 2008 President - Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH)