Meet The Team

Dr. Debajyoti Pati has over 34 years of experience in research, practice, and teaching in the United States, Canada, and India. He earned his doctoral degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has published widely on performance based design in the healthcare and criminal justice sectors, in the form of book/book chapters, scientific articles, and industry publications. He served as the vice president and director of research of HKS Architects, a leading international healthcare design firm, before moving to Texas Tech in 2011.

Dr. Pati was twice voted among the 25 most influential people in healthcare design. He has received numerous awards for research excellence, including from the Environmental Design Research Association; Interior Design Educators Council; International Interior Design Association; American Society of Mechanical Engineers; International Academy for Design and Health; NURTURE, Georgia Tech, and Texas Tech. He has served as a juror/reviewer at the national/international level including at the National Science Foundation; University of Michigan Precision Health; Center for Health Design; Environmental Design Research Association; Epidemic Urbanism Initiative; Design & Health World Congress; Health Design Product Innovation Award; Healthcare Design Architectural and Interior Design Showcase; American Society of Interior Designers; Environments for Aging showcase.

Dr. Pati is currently serving as the Chair, Building Research Council, National Institute of Building Sciences, Washington, DC.; Editorial Board, Health Environments Research & Design Journal; Director, North America Chapter, International Academy for Design and Health; International Advisory Board, Swiss Center for Design and Health, Switzerland; and on the Distinguished Experts Panel, Global Education Policy Network, Saudi Arabia. He is a Fellow of the Indian Institute of Architects.

Dr. Apoorva Rane is an educator and researcher specializing in the health and well-being of indoor occupants, applying human-centered design principles to shape built environments through cognitive, environmental, and cultural insights that create measurable, lasting impacts. She earned her PhD in Interior Environmental Design from Texas Tech University in 2022. She is currently working at Washington State University as an Assistant Professor of Interior Architecture (Fall 2025). Dr. Rane’s curriculum emphasizes human behavior, environmental and design theory, sustainability in design history, and healthcare environments. In addition, she advises the student chapter of ASID, guiding fundraising initiatives, fostering industry connections, and supporting students’ professional growth.

Her research spans academic and industry collaborations, investigating both real and virtual healthcare settings—including emergency departments, peri-operative units, medical-surgical units, and nursing work areas. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Patient Safety, Health Environments Research and Design (HERD), and Sustainability. Her doctoral dissertation explored the effects of prolonged exposure to biophilic elements on nurses’ cognitive and physiological well-being. Dr. Rane also contributes to the academic community as a reviewer for the Journal of Interior Design and Health Environments Research & Design (HERD) journal.

Dr. Saman Jamshidi is an Assistant Professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His areas of interest include wayfinding, healthcare design, evidence-based design, architectural technology, and sustainability. Saman’s past work includes research on the influence of the hospital environment on (1) reducing fall risk among patients, (2) improving patient outcomes (such as length of stay, pain, satisfaction, etc.), and (3) rural healthcare. He is currently examining the effect of environmental factors on human wayfinding. To date, his research has resulted in several peer-reviewed papers in the Journal of Patient Safety, the Journal of Frontiers in Psychology, Health Environments Research and Design Journal (HERD), the journal of Frontiers of Architectural Research. 

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Saman holds a PhD in Interior and Environmental Design, Master of Architecture, and a Master of Environmental Design. He is NCIDQ certified and has more than 15 years of experience in practice, research, and teaching. He was involved in a wide variety of design projects, such as residential, commercial, hospitality, cultural, landscape, and renovation.

Dr. Elnaz Nahirafee serves as an Assistant Professor of Interior Design at Kean University. She holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Industrial Design from the Art University of Tabriz and IAU Tehran, Iran, respectively. Dr. Nahirafee completed her Ph.D. in Interior and Environmental Design, along with an MS in Environmental Design from Texas Tech University. Her research focuses on healthcare design, behavior-driven design, and salutogenic design. With over 5 years of professional experience, she held senior interior design positions at esteemed firms in Iran prior to her academic tenure.

Dr. Sahand Abbasi is an accomplished designer, educator, and researcher renowned for his pioneering work in design for health and wellbeing. As an Assistant Professor at Kean University and a distinguished Designer, his influence extends across academia and professional practice. His research focuses on Cognitive Design, Design for Health and Wellbeing, Design for Childhood Development, and Inclusive Design. Driven by his belief in design thinking, Dr. Abbasi fosters innovation and positive experiences through his work."

Dr. Reem Bagais is an Assistant Professor in the Interior Design program within the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at Illinois State University. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Interior Environmental Design from Texas Tech University, a Master of Science in Environmental Design from Texas Tech, and a Master of Art in Interior Design from George Washington University. Before joining Illinois State University, Dr. Bagais served as a graduate part-time instructor at Texas Tech University and a lecturer at Prince Sultan University in Saudi Arabia. Dr. Bagais's research journey is marked by her dedication to understanding the relationship between the built environment and children's development. Her research focuses on how home environments influence children's self-regulation development. She has published several articles in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, exploring these themes. Her work contributed to the future education and research in the interior design field.