Director George Tingwald and Project Manager Jeff Neaves Join Practice Leader Meredith Neistadt to Support Market Growth and Impact across the U.S.
SOM has shaped the future of healthcare design for more than six decades, partnering with leading institutions such as Cleveland Clinic, Mount Sinai, and Memorial Sloan Kettering. Under the guidance of Principal Anthony Treu, the practice has continued to grow, delivering more than 15 million square feet of healthcare space in the past decade, with another 4 million in design and construction. That momentum has been recognized across the U.S., most recently with the AIA Healthcare Design Award for the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory Midtown in Atlanta.
To support SOM’s growing portfolio of healthcare projects, Senior Associate Principal Meredith Neistadt has been appointed Healthcare Practice Leader alongside Treu. Based in New York, Neistadt is an experienced project manager who has worked extensively in health and science across the Eastern United States, including the first-of-its-kind masterplan for Science Park and Research Campus (SPARC) in Manhattan’s Kips Bay, creating a new healthcare hub with New York City Economic Development Corporation and The City University of New York. In her role as Practice Leader, she co-leads strategy across SOM’s studios and continues to lead the management of the highly anticipated New York City Public Health Laboratory, opening in 2026, and the recently announced Roper Hospital Campus relocation project in North Charleston, South Carolina.
This growth is also supported by two new hires: the return of Dr. George Tingwald in San Francisco and Project Manager Jeff Neaves in Chicago, together bringing extensive experience leading complex medical and research projects worldwide.
Tingwald, a physician and architect with more than four decades of experience including 20 years at SOM, will help steward new design opportunities as Director of Healthcare Design. He joins SOM after nearly two decades as Director of Medical Planning at Stanford University Medical Center and more than 30 years contributing to the Facilities Guidelines Institute. Known for bridging clinical insight and design innovation, he has guided institutions through every stage of visioning, programming, and implementation. His career includes pioneering efforts to integrate patient advisory groups into the design process and the development of the Interventional Platform model, now widely adopted by leading health systems. Tingwald also serves on the board of the National Organization for Arts in Health and is a member of the Built Environment Network of the Center for Health Design. In 2022, he received the Changemaker Award from the Center for Health Design in recognition of his lifetime contributions to advancing healthcare environments.
Neaves, an Associate Principal and Senior Project Manager, brings more than 25 years of experience leading hospital, outpatient, and research projects nationwide. His portfolio includes work for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Advocate Illinois Masonic Center for Advanced Care, and Trinity Health Saint Alphonsus Medical Center, among others. Respected for his collaborative leadership and results-driven approach, Neaves oversees all aspects of project delivery—from early planning and client engagement to budgeting, staffing, and construction administration. His work emphasizes both design excellence and operational performance, resulting in facilities that elevate patient experience and clinical efficiency alike.
