SmithGroup, one of the nation’s leading integrated design firms, has promoted Vladislav (Vlad) Torskiy to the role of Health Strategist. Torskiy, a principal based in SmithGroup’s Chicago office, is responsible for leading the firm’s strategic planning services and continuing growth of its team of health strategy experts.

Torskiy is a healthcare architect and planner who for the last 25 years has dedicated his career to operational, strategic and master planning for healthcare institutions. He has been on the forefront of finding executable solutions for his clients as forecasting technologies have advanced and the healthcare industry has become more complex. Recently, Torskiy led a population health and equity study of the South Chicago metropolitan area. This analysis of multiple safety-net and non-profit health systems and independent hospitals, serving more than five million people in Chicago, is being used to redirect health services delivery and improve future facilities and operations.

“Our nation’s current model of healthcare delivery has been challenged in the face of the COVID-19 crisis. Now more than ever, healthcare organizations need the expertise of strategists like Vlad to help them map plans for a resilient future,” says Wayne Barger, Health practice director at SmithGroup. “Vlad’s passion for enterprise planning and data analytics, coupled with his firm belief that healthcare should be equitable for all, makes him an excellent advocate and partner for our health clients.”

Torskiy has been a leader in strategic and medical planning for numerous other health systems. His recent portfolio includes the development of strategic master plans for WakeMed Health, Beaumont Health, and Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare. Torskiy has also provided extensive service to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, developing integrated, system-based service delivery and master planning as well as design guidelines to shepherd Veterans Affairs vast network of facilities and care delivery.

“While most clinical and financial forecasts look 10-15 years into the future, the physical spaces where healthcare is provided are typically in service for 60-80 years,” explains Torskiy. “Advanced analyses are necessary to help institutions plan for both their immediate and very long-term needs to ensure they can adapt and thrive in the face of known and unknown challenges.”

Torskiy adds new direction to SmithGroup’s nine decades of experience in specialized healthcare strategy and medical planning, providing expertise in strategy and resiliency planning, operational planning, campus and facility planning, and economic and financial planning to public and private healthcare organizations. SmithGroup has a long history of developing transformational strategic and master plans, including Scripps Health; IU Health Indianapolis; Loma Linda University Health; Olive View-UCLA Medical Center; UC San Diego Medical Center, Hillcrest; City of Las Vegas Medical District; and Advocate Health Illinois Masonic Medical Center.

Torskiy earned a Master of Healthcare Administration from Ohio University, a Master of Science in Architecture from Israel Institute of Technology, and a Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design and Master of Fine Arts from the Ukrainian Academy of Fine Arts. He is a Lean Healthcare Certified Specialist earned from the Massey Graduate School of Business, and is a registered architect in Israel. Torskiy is currently serving a second term on the Regent Advisory Council of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and is also an advisory board member for the Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo. Torskiy is also a member of the American Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN).