Heena Santry, MD, MS, MBA, FACS, EDAC, has joined the Columbus, Ohio, office of DLR Group as Principal and Senior Healthcare Planner. A physician and health services researcher, Santry integrates clinical operations and equity considerations into healthcare design to improve outcomes for patients and medical staff.
Santry’s appointment brings a dual perspective to the architecture and planning firm, combining a background in acute care surgery with expertise in healthcare strategy.
The move marks a transition for Santry, who spent nearly two decades in academic medicine. During that tenure, she served as an acute care and trauma surgeon, where she led research initiatives aimed at innovating care delivery for socially vulnerable patient populations. This clinical foundation now informs her approach to healthcare planning and workforce needs within the design industry.
Clinical Background and Research in Trauma Care
Before entering the design and consulting sector, Santry’s career was rooted in high-acuity medical environments.
Santry’s academic work specifically targeted the intersection of public health science and clinical operations. By focusing on socially vulnerable populations, she developed strategies to reduce barriers to care—a perspective she now integrates into the planning of healthcare facilities to ensure equity in access and treatment.
Transition to Healthcare Strategy and Design
Following her tenure in academic surgery, Santry shifted into senior leadership roles within healthcare strategy and consulting. Her professional progression included serving as a senior associate and a healthcare consulting director before ascending to the role of principal and national market leader.
This trajectory allowed Santry to move from the direct delivery of care to the systemic planning of health services. By joining DLR Group, she aligns her strategic consulting experience with the firm’s architectural capabilities.
Impact on Healthcare Planning in Columbus
Because she continues to practice medicine alongside her full-time role in healthcare design, she maintains a current understanding of the pressures facing healthcare providers and the evolving needs of patient populations.
Her approach emphasizes three core pillars: clinical operations, workforce requirements, and equity.
Worth a look