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SEPTEMBER 24-26, 2024
Austin Convention Center - Austin, Texas

Advisory Board Member

Bruce Raber

Architect, Purveyor of Wisdom

About Bruce

Bruce Raber is a retired architect who led a globally based healthcare design studio of more than 800 architects, designers, nurses who everyday focused on the design of healthcare environments around the world. Bruce was twice named as one of the top 25 most influential people in healthcare design in North America.

Now in his ‘rewirement’ phase, as a ‘Purveyor of Wisdom’, Bruce uses his earthly experiences as a designer, coach, mentor, and advocate to continue to improve the delivery of healthcare. Using his own lived experience, as a patient with comorbidities to champion the patient’s perspective, Bruce is an active member of the Patient Voice’s Network – a community of patients, families, and caregivers working with healthcare partners to improve the healthcare system in British Columbia.

Presently, Bruce is also enjoying his fourth year as a mentor and facilitator at UBC Health (University of British Columbia) and was a 2021 recipient of the Paul Kerston Community Educator Award. This award honors outstanding community educators who have made a difference to student learning at UBC. It recognizes Bruce’s passion and enthusiasm that has inspired many of his students to seek to improve the healthcare system and to create systemic change.

Healthcare Design Work

Bruce’s practice covered 5 decades, with most of it being in the design of healthcare facilities in British Columbia and across Canada. As a “Designer Healer” his projects ranged from a new hospital in Inuvik above the Arctic Circle in Northern Canada, to a new 100 bed hospital on the Island of Tobago in the Caribbean. His last project prior to starting his “rewirement” in June 2018 was the $1.5 billion Calgary Cancer Centre. Bruce’s current Health Design work includes the $2.17 billion new St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, where Bruce sits as patient partner on the Steering Committees for the design of the Inpatient Units, the Critical Care complex, and the new Emergency Department. 

Education & Credentials

  • Bachelor of Environmental Studies, University of Manitoba

  • Master of Architecture, University of Manitoba

  • Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, Member

  • Life Member, Alberta Association of Architects

  • Architectural Institute of British Columbia, Retried Architect

  • Board member, Hillel BC

  • Patient Voice’s Network

  • University of British Columbia Interprofessional Health Mentor Program

Fun Fact

Bruce is the leader of the Rattling Chain Gang (RCG), a not-so-elite a group of friends who love to eat, drink, and laugh while cycling around British Columbia and countries abroad. Previous cycling trips include Connemara Ireland,  Puglia Italy, and the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton in Nova Scotia.