Shary Adams Joins Health Practice as Mental and Behavioral Health Leader

Shary Adams, AIA, ACHA, EDAC, LEED AP BD+C, has joined CannonDesign as a senior vice president in its Health Practice.

Based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office, Adams will embed herself in the Mental and Behavioral Health practice to focus on advancing innovative design solutions and systems that help reduce stigma and improve treatment for mental health.

Adams has more than 30 years of design experience specializing in healthcare planning and architecture. She most recently worked for HGA, where she led integrated healthcare design teams and designing for behavioral health. Her past projects include inpatient and outpatient behavioral health facilities, as well as safe emergency department crisis spaces and broader healthcare design of surgery and ambulatory facilities.

Adams’s expertise in Evidence-Based Design and visioning sessions with leading clinicians and administrators has created innovative solutions for some of healthcare’s most complex issues, from mental healthcare resources to patient safety.

She has worked with leading health organizations including Johns Hopkins and the Department of Veterans Affairs and managed healthcare projects from North America to the Middle East. Over the years, she has been a keynote speaker at international conferences and symposia, published in national publications and is a board-certified American College of Healthcare Architect.