Episode 70: Kristin Leija, RID, CIDQ, CHID, EDAC, LEED Green Associate, WELL AP — Registered Interior Designer & Certified Healthcare Interior Designer at Perkins&Will (San Antonio, TX)

About this episode

Kristin Leija discusses her approach to healthcare design, emphasizing community, sustainability, and the impact of post-COVID realities.

"When one of us rises, all of us rise." –Kristin Leija on the Healthcare Interior Design 2.0 podcast Today on the pod, Cheryl sits down—virtually—with Kristin Leija, RID, CIDQ, CHID, EDAC, LEED Green Associate, WELL AP — Registered Interior Designer & Certified Healthcare Interior Designer at Perkins&Will in San Antonio, TX. Kristin brings big-firm reach with a startup spirit—supporting teams across Texas while anchoring in San Antonio's historic Pearl District. As a post-COVID entrant to healthcare design, she pairs digital fluency with CHID/EDAC rigor and a community-first mindset. We talk building credibility without 20 years on the clock, designing for a multicultural city, caregiver realities (including her own), and the rising focus on behavioral health and "living design" sustainability. What We Cover Post-COVID vantage point: translating six-foot spacing, touch reduction, and one-way flows into healthcare planning Earning trust early: leading with research, active listening, and co-authoring solutions with clients Community + culture → design: how San Antonio's "smallest big city" vibe shows up in wayfinding, lobbies, and public spaces Caregiver lens: where do you…

People in this episode

Host: Cheryl

Guest: Kristin Leija

Topics covered

• healthcare design
• community-focused design
• behavioral health
• post-COVID planning
• sustainability in design
• multicultural design

Keywords

• healthcare interior design
• community design
• behavioral health
• sustainability
• post-COVID
• multicultural design
• living design

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Perkins&Will, Healthcare Interior Design 2.0

Places: San Antonio, Pearl District

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