Global network of leaders and experts to identify key barriers and research priorities for advancing buildings and communities that help people thrive.
New York, NY (September 26, 2019) – The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) today announced the formation of its inaugural global research advisory, a diverse group of leaders at the forefront of unlocking the health and wellness potential of buildings and communities around the globe. The research advisory adds to IWBI’s rapidly growing network of leaders informing evidence-based wellness interventions that leverage built spaces and organizational strategies to advance human health and well-being. The research advisory will also translate both research findings and research needs to an audience of leaders from business, philanthropy and government.
The advisory draws renowned experts from academia, market research, industry, government agencies and the financial sector across six countries and four continents. Members of the advisory will identify and prioritize research needs to fill knowledge gaps and support leaders and organizations in their commitments to improve the health of employees, customers or society as a whole. This body will take into account needs and opportunities in a variety of market sectors, including corporate real estate, affordable housing, education, healthcare and manufacturing. The key outcome of this year’s advisory will be a first-of-its-kind roadmap for accelerating progress toward spaces and communities that improve health and wellness for all.
“We’re honored to have such a prestigious group of leading experts from around the world and with highly diverse areas of expertise. Collectively, these individuals know so much about architecture, design, public health, urban planning, financial analysis, organizational psychology and more,” said Rachel Gutter, president of IWBI. “We anticipate that the research advisory’s efforts will help developers, owners and corporations innovate new strategies, and provide investors new insights to better evaluate the material impacts of health and well-being efforts on the business’s bottom line. With market transformation as our goal, we believe that the dedicated work of the research advisory will steepen the slope of the adoption curve.”
The 20-member research advisory will serve an 18-month term, and publish the first annual roadmap for the movement this coming spring.
The IWBI Research Advisory includes:
Christhina Candido, PhD, Senior Lecturer, School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney
Jennifer Cross, PhD, Director of Research, Institute for the Built Environment, Colorado State University
Susan Chung, PhD, Director of Research and Knowledge Management, American Society of Interior Designers
Avis Devine, MBA, PhD, Associate Professor of Real Estate, Brookfield Centre for Real Estate and Infrastructure, York University
Marta Fernandez, PhD, Executive Director, RMIT Europe
Emmanuela Gadikou, PhD, Professor of Health Metrics Sciences and Senior Director of Organizational Development and Training Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington
Judith Heerwagen, PhD, Sustainability Program Expert and Research Psychologist, US General Services Administration
Vivian Loftness, FAIA, Professor, School of Architecture, Carnegie Mellon University
Matthew Macko, Founder, stok
Teresa McGrath, Chief Research Officer, Healthy Building Network
Nancy Post, PhD, Leading Healthy Change, Post Enterprises
Chris Pyke, PhD, Senior Vice President for Product ArcSkoru, Inc.
Jeff Risom, Partner and Chief Innovation Officer, Gehl
John Robinson, PhD, Professor, Munk School of Global Affairs & School of the Environment, University of Toronto
Ina Rothmann, PhD, Managing Director, Afriforte Ltd.
Mardelle Shepley, MArch, MA, DArch, Chair and Professor, Department of Design and Environmental Analysis; Associate Director of Healthy Futures Institute, Cornell University
Amanda Sturgeon, FAIA, CEO, International Living Future Institute
Ruslan Tovbulatov, Vice President of Product, Marketing & Partnerships, Thrive Global
Matthew Trowbridge, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, School of Medicine, University of Virginia
Marcella Ucci, PhD, Associate Professor in Environmental and Healthy Buildings, Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, University College London
About IWBI and WELL
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is leading the global movement to transform our buildings and communities in ways that help people thrive. The WELL v2 pilot is the next version of its popular WELL Building Standard, and the WELL Community Standard pilot is a district scale rating system that sets a new global benchmark for healthy communities. WELL is focused exclusively on the ways that buildings and communities, and everything in them, can improve our comfort, drive better choices, and generally enhance, not compromise, our health and wellness. IWBI convenes and mobilizes the wellness community through management of the WELL AP credential, the pursuit of applicable research, the development of educational resources, and advocacy for policies that promote health and wellness everywhere. IWBI is a participant of the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate citizenship initiative, and helps companies advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the use of WELL. Click here for more information.
International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, the WELL Building Standard, WELL v2, WELL Certified, WELL AP, WELL Portfolio, WELL Portfolio Score, WELL and others, and their related logos are trademarks or certification marks of International WELL Building Institute pbc in the United States and other countries.
Press Contact:
IWBI
Jamie Matos
Jamie.matos@wellcertified.com