The Australasian Health Design Council (AHDC) is proud to announce that Tara Veldman has been awarded the inaugural AHDC Gold Medal Award.

The announcement was made during the 2024 AHDC Annual General Meeting, with the award formally presented at the AHDC Conference earlier this week.

This prestigious award recognises an individual who has made an outstanding and lasting contribution to the field of health design. Following an open nomination process and a rigorous scoring and selection process, Tara was selected as the first recipient of the AHDC Gold Medal Award.

The consolidated feedback from the judging committee highlighted that:

Tara has made an invaluable and lasting contribution to healthcare design through her visionary leadership, compassion, and commitment to excellence. Her leadership on major projects in Australia has set new benchmarks for care. While her influence is strongest at the facility level, she also contributes as a thought leader and mentor, sharing knowledge and inspiring emerging designers, thereby shaping the future of healthcare design through both practice and professional development.

We extend our sincere thanks to the AHDC Gold Medal Judging Committee —  Kate Copeland, Isabelle Mansour, Warren Kerr, Alex Belcastro, and Ron Billard — for their thoughtful review and deliberation throughout this process.

We also thank all nominators who took the time to acknowledge the exceptional talent and dedication within our community.

We look forward to seeing the continued impact Tara will make through her advocacy and ambassadorship of the AHDC, and the inspiration she brings to the next generation of health designers.