Susan Bower, MBA, BSN, EDAC, Principal | Healthcare Consulting Leader @ NBBJ brings 15 years of clinical and nursing management experience to her work in the healthcare design field. She began her career as a bedside staff nurse before moving into nursing management and eventually clinical research, gaining experience across diverse service lines—including neurosciences, endocrinology, oncology, and pediatrics. Although she valued her time in direct patient care, Susan recognized an opportunity to apply her analytical and strategic strengths on a broader scale.
This realization led her to pursue an MBA from Ohio State University, with the goal of transitioning into healthcare consulting. However, she found traditional management consulting too narrow in scope. Around that time, NBBJ—an international design firm—was seeking an MBA/BSN nurse planner to lead strategy and operational planning. In 1998, this was a pioneering role, as very few nurses were working in healthcare design. At first, there was uncertainty about how a nurse would fit into the design world. Even for Susan, the transition came with a steep learning curve; she had to quickly grasp unfamiliar terms like “schematic design” and learn to navigate the architectural jargon that often mirrored the complexity of healthcare’s own language.
Susan embraced the challenge and found her niche. She discovered a deep passion for driving system-wide transformation—impacting far more patients and staff than she could have in a clinical role alone. Today, she draws on her unique background in business, clinical care, and healthcare operations to partner with physicians, frontline staff, and executive leaders. Her work helps bridge the gap between strategy and design, translating high-level goals into innovative processes and effective care environments.
Her expertise spans the entire planning continuum, from early strategic visioning and operational programming to transition planning and activation. Susan thrives on collaborating with healthcare professionals to integrate their firsthand experience with thoughtful design—creating environments that truly support high-quality care delivery.
