IFHE President - Walt Vernon - AMFP, USA

One of my major goals for my time as President is to do whatever I can to help all of our A-members.

So far this year, I have been able to present virtually at meetings with A Members in Venezuela and Austria.  Fabio Bitencourt captured this image of the Zoom meeting during the June 19 meeting of the meeting with the Venezuela membership.

In July, I plan to travel to Brazil for the ABDEH XI CBDEH 2026. This is exciting to me for many reasons. One thing we are watching is the growing strength of the IFHE-Americas Region. Among other things, they have submitted their first budget for the use of the funds being provided to them by IFHE. I look forward to being with them and continuing to help them build the things they are doing for their members and for their patients.

This fall, after the IFHE Congress in New Orleans, I will travel to present with IFHE members in the Asia-Pacific Region. In addition, I will visit and support some lapsed members. I am hoping that the things we are doing will make it more attractive to rejoin us. And, if not, we certainly want to continue to maintain strong relationships and future opportunities. So far, we have confirmed meetings with South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, New Zealand and Australia. I am hoping to schedule visits with the other countries in the region; if that is you, please be in touch and lets organize something!

Now, I want to make one big request from all of you.

One of the things IFHE is trying to do for you, for your members, and for the patients you serve, is to create awards to recognize the great achievement of our members. IFHE Past President, Steve Rees has taken the leadership of the IFHE Awards committee, and he has done an amazing job of building the program. In October, under Steve’s leadership, IFHE will give awards for the Cut the Carbs program, and the International Buildings Award (which can include much more then just new buildings).

You can learn about both programs here:

https://www.ifhe.info/news/2026-ifhe-international-building-award

and here:

https://ifhecarbonchallenge.com/

So, here is my request. To help your members, to help IFHE, to help our collective goals to build a healthier world, please ensure that at least one hospital from your Association applies for each of these two awards. It would be great if we can award the progress being achieved in every one of our member Associations. You can also use this awards program to provide your own local awards in your country, from those who submit.

We have tried to make it as easy as we can; if you or your members need any help, they can email the IFHE help desk at: awards@ifhe.info.

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in October, and I look forward to handing out a LOT of awards to our members. Please help.

One more thing. You may have read about the recent earthquake in Venezuela. As soon as I heard, I was in touch with the President of our A-member there. I wanted to see how her members were faring. I offered them the 100% support of the IFHE community. This is why we are together.

Thank you all for being part of the IFHE.

Walt Vernon

IFHE President.

Update from the Executive Committee.

Nominations for Executive Committee...

IFHE Council representatives were invited by the Secretariat in an email on April 10th, 2026, to submit nominations for the election of ExCo members. This email also advised of an extra Special IFHE Council Meeting to be held via Zoom on October 9th at 1pm GMT.  The purpose of this meeting is to confirm the election of ExCo members in advance of the IFHE Council meeting in New Orleans.  Thank you to everybody who submitted nominations - these are now being considered by ExCo.

IFHE 2026 Council Meeting... 

Will be held in conjunction with the 29th IFHE Congress being hosted by AMFP in New Orleans on Saturday October 17th.  The agenda and papers for the meeting will be circulated to IFHE Council Members shortly.

We remain at your entire disposal should you have any questions, and these can be emailed to either Darryl Pitcher or Dan Fuochi at info@ifhe.info.

Invitation to Host 30th IFHE World Congress.

Hosting an IFHE Congress brings the world of healthcare engineering to you!

IFHE invites "A Member" associations to submit an application to host the 2030 IFHE Congress and use this opportunity to promote and your home country.

At the 2026 IFHE Congress to be held in New Orleans (USA) the IFHE Council will be appointing the successful A Member association to host the 2030 IFHE Congress. The Congress provides a superb opportunity to shine the global spotlight on healthcare engineering in your region, the innovations, activities and people who make your organisation unique. 

Whilst the new IFHE Statutes no longer require the host country to provide a future IFHE President, A members are encouraged to nominate a suitable candidate to ExCo.

Submissions to host the 2030 Congress should be received by the IFHE Secretariat no later than August 30th, 2026.

The IFHE Statutes and Standing Orders describe the responsibilities of the bidding host association. For more information, don’t hesitate to reach out to IFHE General Secretary, Darryl Pitcher at info@ifhe.info

Why Are So Many New Hospitals So Energy Inefficient? Lessons from One of North America's Highest Performing Acute Care Hospitals

Each year, more than 100 new hospitals open across North America, yet many consume far more energy than anticipated—driving up operating costs and increasing carbon emissions for decades to come.

Join this insightful IFHE webinar to explore the lessons learned from Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, one of the world’s most energy-efficient major acute care hospitals. Opened in 2021, the facility has achieved an impressive energy use intensity (EUI) of approximately 90 kBtu/sf in a cold climate, setting a new benchmark for high-performance healthcare facilities.

Drawing on this real-world case study and research from hospitals across North America, this session will examine the key reasons new facilities often underperform and highlight practical strategies for achieving better outcomes. Topics include measurable energy targets, integrated design, commissioning, building automation systems, operational readiness, and continuous performance optimization.

The webinar will also feature emerging research from the Climate Challenge Network, focused on benchmarking hospital energy performance, identifying common design and operational gaps, and developing actionable guidance to help future healthcare projects reduce energy use, lower carbon emissions, and improve long-term sustainability.

Whether you are a healthcare executive, engineer, designer, facility manager, or sustainability professional, this session will provide valuable insights for delivering the next generation of high-performance hospitals.

Session 1 | August 12

For participants in the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia

08:00 AM PDT | 11:00 AM EDT | 04:00 PM BST

05:00 PM CEST | 05:00 PM SAST | 08:30 PM IST

 Session 1 Registration: https://mazzetti.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JeO_2AXHRKODF-uowpFCNg

Session 2 | August 12 (August 13 Eastern Hemisphere)

For participants in the Americas, East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand

05:00 PM PDT | 08:00 PM EDT

09:00 AM JST | 09:30 AM ACST | 12:00 PM NZST

Session 2 Registration: https://mazzetti.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2AwdK3kHT4GjogB_8KeYlA

The 2026 IFHE Global Carbon Challenge, "Cut the Carbs" is

NOW OPEN.

  The winners of this challenge will be advised in the lead up to the 2026 IFHE Congress in New Orleans in October and will be announced and celebrated at a special awards ceremony.

GET INVOLVED NOW - Click on the image above or visit

https://www.ifhecarbonchallenge.com

2026 International Building Award

SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENDED!

 AMFP (USA) in collaboration with IFHE, invite you to submit a healthcare project—either a new build or a major renovation— for consideration for the 2026 IFHE International Building Award. The award recognizes excellence in healthcare facility design and construction, celebrating projects that demonstrate innovation, sustainability, functionality, and a strong commitment to human-centred care.

The submissions must be received by IFHE by July 31, 2026.

The participants will be recognized and the winners will be celebrated at the IFHE 2026 Congress in New Orleans in October. 

CLICK HERE for more details.

A detailed summary of events and activities from IFHE-EU members has been compiled and can be viewed by clicking here.

This includes news from over 10 European member organisations, including seminars, congresses and education opportunities.

IFHE Vice President, Fabio Bitencourt has provided a detailed summary of events and initiatives being developed for IFHE Member organisations in the Latin American regional group.

Read the full paper here.

The Editorial team are currently reviewing the abstracts submitted for the 2027 IFHE Digest.  Check out the 2026 IFHE Digest below.