Episode 72, Elizabeth Johnson, PhD, MS-CRM, RN, Assistant Professor, Montana State University Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing, Incoming President of the Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design

"As a system scientist and a nurse, my patient is now the hospital."  –Elizabeth Johnson on HID2.0 On today's podcast episode, Cheryl sits down with Dr. Elizabeth Johnson (PhD, MS-CRM, RN)—Assistant Professor at Montana State University's Mark & Robyn Jones College of Nursing, host of Designing Care On-Air, and incoming President of the Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design (NIHD). Elizabeth lives at the intersection of nursing, technology, and design, with a passion for designing healthcare systems—especially for rural, frontier, remote, and tribal communities where distance and infrastructure shape what care can look and feel like.

In this conversation, Elizabeth shares the "permission" moment that changed her path into healthcare design, her research using mobile and wearable technology to support clinical trial participant safety, and the powerful insights coming from The Kind Room Project—where children use art to show what a healthcare space looks like when it helps them feel calm, safe, and brave. Along the way, she offers a reframe you won't forget: "My patient is now the hospital."

In this episode, we cover

The moment that changed everything: being asked (for the first time) what she thought—as a nurse—during a design challenge.

The Kind Room Project: using art-based prompts so kids can show what "healthcare that feels kind" looks like.

A surprising insight from children's drawings: many prefer softer, muted tones over the stereotypical "primary colors."

Why rural hospitals are a "living, breathing apparatus" of community life—and what designers miss if they only visit during business hours.

Wearables + clinical trials: how technology can help rural/remote participants stay safe and supported closer to home.

"Day two design" (after the ribbon cutting): where latent errors show up—and how to ask great questions, not just good ones.

The mindset shift she wants to normalize: making friends with the unknown.

Memorable quotes

"My patient is now the hospital."