MED 33 — Brains, Bodies, and Buildings: Neuro-Architecture and the Spaces That Shape Us
Quarter: Winter
Instructor(s): Anita Honkanen, Eve Edelstein
Date(s): Jan 26—Mar 9
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Mondays
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 6:00—7:50 pm (PT)
Please Note: No class on February 16
Tuition: $415
Refund Deadline: Jan 28
Unit(s): 1
Status: Open
Quarter: Winter
Day: Mondays
Duration: 6 weeks
Time: 6:00—7:50 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jan 26—Mar 9
Unit(s): 1
Tuition: $415
Refund Deadline: Jan 28
Instructor(s): Anita Honkanen, Eve Edelstein
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Open
Please Note: No class on February 16
The spaces we inhabit shape how we think, feel, and function. The emerging field of neuro-architecture reveals how design impacts the brain, the body, and the community. This course, led by a Stanford clinician who helped guide the expansion of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and a neuroscientist with expertise in architecture and anthropology, introduces how design influences physical health and mental function. Drawing on cutting-edge research, we’ll explore how light, sound, spatial layout, and other design elements shape outcomes in hospitals, classrooms, workplaces, and homes. Expert-led discussions, video tours, and interactive sessions will bring the material to life as we consider how different users respond to clutter versus order, and how natural elements can enhance attention, speed recovery, and evoke awe. Participants will leave with actionable strategies to reimagine homes, communities and places for care, learning, and work. In a world where we spend nearly 90 percent of our lives indoors, design is not cosmetic; it’s fundamental to well-being.
ANITA HONKANEN
Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology, Associate Dean for Wellness and Student Life Advising, Stanford Medicine
Anita Honkanen has been with Stanford Medicine since 2003 and served as chief of the Division of Pediatric Anesthesiology from 2006 to 2019. She has developed programs to support faculty, staff, and residents and contributed to major expansion projects at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. She has lectured nationally and internationally and has been deeply involved in educational initiatives at Stanford Medicine. EVE EDELSTEIN
Adjunct Professor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford Medicine
Eve Edelstein works at the nexus of clinical science and design. She serves on the board of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture and lectures nationally and internationally. She is the co-founder of Clinicians for Design and the CEO of Neuro-Architecture. She worked clinically at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and consulted with NASA; with design firms including Perkins+Will and Stantec; with researchers at UC Berkeley and UC San Diego; and innovative firms such as Google, applying “brain-based design” in practice. She received a PhD from the Institute of Neurology at the University College London Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.