Megan McNally, CHID, CID, EDAC, IIDA, NCIDQ, associate director of interior design, Ryan A+E Inc. (subsidiary of Ryan Companies US Inc.; Minneapolis)

After establishing Ryan A+E Inc.’s healthcare interiors practice in 2019, Megan McNally was promoted to associate director of interior design at the firm just two years later.

In her current role, she leads interior teams across the country on a range of inpatient, outpatient, and residential care environments—collaborating on more than 60 projects in 2022 alone.

Throughout her work, she strives to deliver design solutions that embody the local community and mission of the health system, promote autonomy and opportunities for education and wellness, support staff retention, and address the cultural and physical needs of individuals.

She brings specialized knowledge and understands project complexities as they relate to building layout, lighting, furniture and materials selection, acoustics, and safety.

For example, for a dementia-friendly cardiovascular center at Jewel & Jim Plumb Heart Center at Mercy Cedar Rapids, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which opened this summer, McNally incorporated memorable landmarks and clear wayfinding that promote patient autonomy and selected materials to address acoustical considerations for the center’s older adult population.

Her recent projects also include a limited stay unit at Children’s Minnesota in Minneapolis where she delivered a bright, sophisticated aesthetic, paired with whimsical Minnesota habitat-themed graphics to appeal to young patients.

For the M Health Fairview Clinic at Highland Bridge in Saint Paul, Minn., her team focused on collaboration spaces between clinicians, nurses, and staff to support a flexible care model between the overlapping urgent care and outpatient clinics.

McNally seeks opportunities to share and increase industry knowledge among her peers and partners, too, including the team of 14 interior designers she oversees at the firm. Additionally, she’s active in advancing the healthcare interior design industry through her work on the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers, where she was appointed to serve as secretary-treasurer in 2022 and president-elect in 2023.

McNally also supports students and young professionals, participating in regular outreach opportunities as a mentor and studio critic at the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis) and Dunwoody College of Technology (Minneapolis).

Her passion for her work and the sector as a whole is evident among her team, clients, and mentees, with one recent client stating, “When working with her, you can feel how much she loves being an interior designer.”

Click here for more on all the 2023 HCD 10 winners.