Susan O'Hara PhD, MPH, BA, RN, NIHD Fellow

Clemson University Assistant Professor

Susan O'Hara is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing and recently completed a post-doctoral faculty position in that school as well as School of Architecture where she became a member of the advisory board committee for the RIPCHD.OR project. This work extends from her role as President and Founder of O'Hara Healthcare Consultants, LLC, specializing in architectural healthcare programming and design review for medical facilities.

Using simulation modeling, Susan has worked with hospital administrators and architects providing occupancy planning services, hospital wide planning, and detailed architectural programming services. Her company led the initial simulation modeling and space analysis for the National Nurses Time and Motion Study at the direction of Dr. Marilyn Chow and Ann Hendrich.

Dr. O'Hara has more than 30 years of experience and a broad base of skills including healthcare operations, education, research, marketing, direct patient care, nursing staff supervision, in-service training, program development and management.

Currently, she pursues her passion for teaching and research and the relationship between nursing and architecture. In support of that program of research she was chairperson of the Inaugural International Nursing Conference for Excellence in Healthcare Design: History, Design and Innovation in August of 2019. With Kathleen Valentine and David Allison, she has been developing the first ever certificate program Certificate for Leadership and Innovation in Health + Design between the Schools of Nursing and Architecture. It is in the final stages of development and approval.