Signage & Wayfinding Systems in Healthcare

How do I get there? Where did I park? Can I get there from here?  These questions abound in healthcare spaces, especially campuses.

Come spend the evening with our panel discussing how to navigate the intersections of regulatory requirements, design, user needs and donor opportunities.

Got a specific question about signage and wayfinding? Send it along to the chairs and we’ll plan to answer it that night.

MODERATOR

Lydia Dillier, AIA – Senior Architect, Cedars Sinai Facilities, Planning, Design & Construction

Lydia is an Architect with an insatiable curiosity about the world around her. Working in Healthcare brings that curiosity to the forefront, learning about her clients, and the populations they serve. With undergraduate degrees in Sign Language and Biomedical Photography from The Rochester Institute of Technology she took those skills into her Masters program at the University of Oregon for Architecture. She has worked in both southern and northern California, returning to Los Angeles in 2017 and opening the LA Office for Boulder Associates in 2019. Transitioning to the client side in 2024 now working for Cedars Sinai FPD&C furthering the mission of Cedars Sinai.

SPEAKERS

Amber Friedline – Associate Director, Signage and Wayfinding, Cedars-Sinai Health System

As an integral team leader for Cedars-Sinai, one of the largest nonprofit academic medical centers in the U.S., Amber has in-depth knowledge of the complexities surrounding wayfinding for a growing health system. She has planned multimillion-dollar signage systems, successfully integrated a campus-wide digital wayfinding tool in the Cedars-Sinai app and is currently implementing a comprehensive wayfinding and branding redesign effort.

Friedline’s professional background, prior to joining Cedars-Sinai in 2015, was in project management and design planning for an architectural signage company focusing on hospitals nationwide. Working side-by-side with health care leadership, along with her knowledge of fabrication and construction techniques, gives Amber the unique ability to understand the technical side of signage systems and wayfinding placemaking, as well as the patient-focused needs of health care design.

Shel Woermbke – Principal-in-Charge Healthcare Director, SKA Design

Shel Woermbke is the Managing Principal and Healthcare Project Director for SKA Design with over 25 years’ experience in the planning and design field. Prior to joining SKA Design, she was employed by an architecture firm, working on both residential and commercial projects. There she gained valuable experience taking projects from conception through completion.

As Principal-in-Charge and Director of Healthcare on a project, Shel is responsible for the initial review of the project, establishing the project fee, handling all the contract matters, staffing, and also consult regarding design, planning, and permitted matters for all healthcare projects.

Shel has worked on many projects seeking LEED certification and is experienced with incorporating sustainability concepts. Our designs are compliant with Code requirements but also developed to consider the unique needs of people within the healthcare facility.

Hailey Ezekiel – Associate Director, Donor Relations, Adv Development Operations Cedars Sinai Medical Center

Hailey Ezekiel is a seasoned nonprofit professional with over 15 years of experience in the field. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Arts Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts from the College of Charleston in 2006. Since 2020, she has served as the Associate Director of Donor Relations in Development at Cedars-Sinai, where she plays a key role in donor recognition and stewardship initiatives. Signage has been an integral part of her work throughout her career, allowing her to merge her expertise with donor engagement strategies. She is passionate about the role of signage in creating meaningful donor experiences and enhancing the built environment.

Learning Objectives – AIA CES: 1.5 LU

1. Discuss the importance of early identification of a space’s needs for regulatory signage in a design project.
2. Recall the priorities in signage and wayfinding design along with donor relation needs in design.
3. Explore evolving technology’s effect on signage and wayfinding in healthcare spaces.
4. Describe the creation and maintenance of a system wide signage and wayfinding guideline to create cohesive experiences across locations.

Parking

Parking is available at 6500 Wilshire. More details to come!