Lesa is Gresham Smith’s Healthcare Director of Research & Insights. She collaborates with the healthcare team to conduct research on human-centered design and develop scalable tools for knowledge sharing among healthcare planners and designers. Using design thinking strategies, she helps clients and project teams identify opportunities for evidence-based design research and strategically implement research projects. Lesa also develops external collaborative partnerships and she has collaborated on research funded by the Veterans Health Administration and the American Institute of Architects. She was the principal investigator for a clinical trial with the VA investigating multisensory environments for people with dementia, which resulted in the Environmental Design Research Association’s Certificate of Research Excellence. Additionally, her research at Gresham Smith-designed Tallahassee Memorial Hospital M.T. Mustian Center on how evidence-based design strategies can decrease sensory stress in intensive care units earned the project team a Platinum-Level Touchstone Award from The Center for Health Design.