CAPLA Lecturer Sandra Bernal selected for National ACSA Academy on Built Environment and Health
Sandra Bernal, a CAPLA lecturer, speaks with health care manufacturers and developers at the BIO International Convention held at the San Diego Convention Center in June 2026. The BIO International Convention is the largest and most comprehensive event for biotechnology, representing the full ecosystem of biotech with 20,000 industry leaders from across the globe.
Sandra Bernal, a CAPLA lecturer, has been selected for the 2026 Academy for Public Scholarship on the Built Environment: Spatial Determinants of Health, a national program of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) that prepares faculty to translate research into compelling public scholarship.
Bernal joins a cohort of scholars from architecture, landscape architecture, planning and related disciplines who will research and write articles exploring the relationship between the built environment, human health and well-being, and the role of design in creating healthier communities.
At CAPLA, Bernal's teaching and research examine how the built environment in arid regions influences public health. As a faculty member in the Sustainable Built Environments program and a member of both the University of Arizona Heat and Health Resilience Innovation Consortium and CAPLA's Healthy Designs Lab, she studies how thoughtful design can protect vulnerable populations from environmental hazards such as extreme heat and poor air quality. Through courses on sustainable cities, human factors and placemaking, she encourages students to consider how physical spaces can either contribute to or improve health outcomes.
Sandra Bernal, lecturer in the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning
"This is an opportunity to learn how to disseminate relevant aspects between the built environment and health through new channels," Bernal said. "I'm excited to explore new ways of communicating research so it reaches broader audiences."
As part of the academy, Bernal plans to write about the spatial determinants of health in Arizona, drawing on her transdisciplinary work in heat resilience and air quality. She also intends to examine emerging design priorities for medical care infrastructure, highlighting the importance of facilities of all scales, including innovative community-based extensions that bring care closer to populations facing the greatest environmental risks.
"What makes my contribution unique is the opportunity to explore current design priorities for medical care infrastructure and the importance of creating facilities and systems that reach communities where they need care most," she said.
Beyond contributing to public conversations about design and health, Bernal sees the academy as an opportunity to further CAPLA's mission of advancing interdisciplinary research and education.
"I hope my participation demonstrates that CAPLA is another step in advancing interdisciplinary research and teaching at the intersection of the built environment and health," Bernal said.
Looking ahead, Bernal is especially eager to apply what she learns through the academy to make research more accessible to the public and to bring those lessons back into the classroom.
"Since 2007, I've been committed to understanding how the built environment affects people's well-being," she said. "I'm excited to communicate that research through accessible opinion pieces that invite public discussion. As a faculty member in the Sustainable Built Environments program, I'm also committed to sharing the knowledge and resources from this academy with our students because this is a matter of social sustainability."
