HERG Students
Altug Kasali
PhD student, Architecture
Email: altugkasali@gatech.edu
Altug is mainly interested in interdisciplinary collaboration in architectural design practice. He is particularly interested in the complex processes within contemporary healthcare design practice where professionals from a range of disciplinary backgrounds are required to integrate their respective skills and resources into ongoing design projects. Altug received his Bachelor degree in architecture from Mimar Sinan University in Istanbul, Turkey, and Master of Science degree in architecture from Izmir Institute of Technology in Izmir, Turkey.
Zhengwei Li
PhD student, Architecture
Email: zli8@mail.gatech.edu
Zhengwei Li is interested in predicting micro building environment(air quality, temperature, illumination) using building simulation approach. He has been taking classes in building simulation seminar, and developing Matlab code to predict building indoor temperature and energy consumption. He has rich experience in using energy simulation software for the purpose of building design and prediction. His recent work is on using ANN(artificial neural network) to predict building environment. He got his bachelor and master degree from Xi'an Jiaotong University, China. His undergraduate major is building services engineering, he did a photocatalytic degrading toxic organics for his master thesis. He likes collaborating with people working in different areas.
Lorissa MacAllister
PhD student, Architecture
Email: lmacallister3@gatech.edu
Lorissa MacAllister AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, EDAC, is the founder of Enviah, a research based consulting business using leading edge techniques to create healthy environments that support sustainable business operations and the movement of people. Lorissa has a BS in medical social work from the University of Vermont and a MA in Architecture from the University of Michigan and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Architecture with a concentration in Evidence Based Design at Georgia Tech. Since 2000 she has integrated her healthcare and architectural expertise to provide a unique design approach in industry. She has led operational assessments, performed sustainable operations integration, and created master plans for some of the largest healthcare systems in the country. As a knowledge leader in her field, Lorissa serves as a consultant to standardize the process of creating environments for health.
Michelle Ossmann
PhD student, Architecture
Email: michelle_ossmann@me.com
As a nurse practitioner with 10 years of clinical experience, Ossmann is examining variables in the physical environment that impact patient outcomes and nursing staff. Her current research examines the relationship between intensive care unit floor layout, nursing care assignments, and patient outcome in the Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit at Emory University Hospital. She is also interested in bridging the communication gap between clinical staff and architects during the design phase. Ossmann has published papers in the Journal of Nursing Administration and Healthcare Design Magazine, and worked on various projects for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Military Health System as a Graduate Research Associate, specifically in the area of healthcare design.
Ossmann graduated magna cum laude from Emory University in 1998 with her undergraduate degree in nursing, and worked as an emergency department nurse in the Emory-Grady system while pursuing graduate studies. After completing her master's degree in nursing from Emory University in 2001, Ossmann practiced as a neurosciences acute care nurse practitioner at Emory University Hospital until July 2009.
Ossmann has since relocated to Chapel Hill, NC, where she is finishing her PhD and working for Duke University Medical Center administration as a consultant to their 8-floor surgical tower and cancer center expansion.
Emilie Schmitz
Master's student, College of Architecture
Email: eschmitz3@gatech.edu
Emilie Schmitz is a Master of Architecture candidate with a concentration in Healthcare Design, at the Georgia Institute of Technology. With an undergraduate degree in architecture from University of Minnesota, Emilie Schmitz is interested in Evidence Base Healthcare Design and its relationship with the architecture profession. With the goal to become a license architect in the healthcare field, Emilie is focused on research that deals with the built environment and patient outcome. Her research has included artificial lighting and Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) projects. Emilie has taken many healthcare courses and is currently doing healthcare design work in her thesis studio, Healthcare of the Future. She is also interested in how both EBD and sustainability principals could shape a new kind of mobile healthcare that would provided care to people in need, no matter where they are located. Through her studies at Georgia Tech Emilie has been awarded the Arthur Frank Beckum, Jr Memorial Fellowship.
Sharon Tsepas
PhD student, Architecture
Email:sharon_tsepas@urbanstudio.us
Sharon Tsepas is Architecture and Planning Director for Urban Studio, Inc., in Atlanta Ga.
Fei Zhao
PhD student, Architecture
Email: feizhao@gatech.edu
Fei Zhao is a PhD student in building technology group, college of architecture in Georgia Tech. He is passionate about improving the sustainability of the built environment, especially interested in building energy conservation and the application of renewable energy for buildings. Fei is currently exploring the existing green building assessment systems and going to start his research on relevant topics. Fei has also applied for two national patents on personalized ventilation technology in China, which is the air conditioning sub-system designed to provide better indoor quality with higher energy efficiency. As a graduate research assistant, Fei has also been working as one of the two major developers for the Healthcare Design Community Portal for one year. The portal is a Web 2.0 professional social networking platform for healthcare designers and researchers to increase collaborative research and design for the collective good. The project was funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Fei received his bachelor's degree on building environment and equipment engineering in Tsinghua University, China. Two papers on hourly outdoor environment prediction for vehicles have been published before he enrolled in Georgia Tech. Personally he loves badminton and roller skating, and also enjoys visiting museums all over the world.