Episode 73, Ghina Itani, MBA, CHID, NCIDQ, EDAC, ASID, Owner/Principal Interior Designer of Itani Design Concepts (IDC)

About this episode

Ghina Itani discusses the impact of healthcare design on patient care and staff retention, emphasizing the role of art and aesthetics in healing environments.

"Art is underutilized as a tool. We should ask: what's the intent behind this piece? Why this piece… and what is this going to do for patients?" —Ghina Itani on HID2.0 What if "beautiful" isn't just a nice-to-have — but a clinical tool? In this episode, Cheryl sits down with Ghina Itani, MBA, CHID, NCIDQ, ASID, EDAC — founder and principal designer of Itani Design Concepts (woman-owned, founded in 2007). Together they unpack how healthcare design decisions ripple outward: influencing everything from patient stress to staff retention, wayfinding, and even workplace culture. You'll hear Ghina's origin story — including the moment she rediscovered her portfolio in a box during her "little ones" season and realized her career was still waiting — and how one early hospital project helped raise expectations for what healthcare spaces could feel like. Then we will dive deep into neuroaesthetics (the brain's response to beauty and environment), why designers must avoid "paint-by-numbers" claims, and how color research can be shared without overpromising. Along the way, Ghina breaks down the famous Baker–Miller Pink story and what it teaches us about context, demographics, and why no…

People in this episode

Host: Cheryl

Guest: Ghina Itani

Topics covered

• healthcare design
• neuroaesthetics
• art in healing
• patient experience
• workplace culture

Keywords

• healthcare design
• neuroaesthetics
• art as care
• patient stress
• workplace culture

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Itani Design Concepts

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