February 23, 2026 — During his tenure as vice president of engineering and facility management for HCA Healthcare, Brian Weldy liked to encourage his team to look beyond best practices: “The best practice is like the best standard: there are so many from which to choose.” Instead, he preferred to focus on “the leading practice. Look for who is changing the way we do maintenance or capital reinvestment or deal with staffing shortages.” It’s the opportunity to identify leading practices on a global scale that Weldy says makes attendance at the 2026 International Federation of Healthcare Engineering (IFHE) World Congress so exciting.
From October 17-20, 2026, IFHE will locate its biennial World Congress in New Orleans, providing an unmatched chance for professionals in healthcare facility design, construction, engineering, commissioning, maintenance and real estate management to exchange ideas with peers from around the world. The U.S. representative to IFHE, the Association of Medical Facility Professionals (AMFP), in partnership with EmeraldX, is co-locating the event alongside the Healthcare Design (HCD) Conference + Expo.
Weldy points to a number of areas where other countries are leading the development of advanced healthcare facilities. “Modular construction is very far ahead in Europe. They’re also ahead with regards to some of the newer emerging technologies, like wireless LoRaWAN, and intelligent buildings.”
Many of these differences are the result of different regulatory environments. For example, in the UK regulations including the Future Buildings Standard and Modern Methods of Construction policies have pushed organizations to develop innovative solutions for building more efficient facilities. But among these differences lie opportunities for professionals shaping the healthcare built environment to share strategies for transforming healthcare delivery at home.
In fact, Weldy notes that most health systems around the world are grappling with similar challenges. “Issues around training, finance, and capital deferment are universal. We’re all competing with other departments for capital dollars and resources, while also facing broader industry competition for talent and technology,” he says.
In his current role as vice president of AMFP and education chair of the 2026 IFHE World Congress, Weldy has attended several previous IFHE events.”At events in Cape Town, South Africa; Antwerp, Belgium; and the most recent HCD conference, I gained practical insight into how peers across different countries and large, complex health systems are addressing shared challenges around deferred maintenance, capital prioritization, resilience, and operational efficiency.” He encourages his peers in the U.S. to consider what they might learn from participating in this first-of-its-kind event.
“After more than 35 years leading engineering and facility operations in large healthcare systems, I am very selective about where I invest my time,” says Weldy. “What differentiates the HCD Conference and the IFHE World Congress is the global exchange of knowledge and leading practices they enable, bringing together owners, operators, and solution providers from around the world to genuinely advance how healthcare facilities are planned, operated, and sustained.”
To learn more about the 2026 IFHE World Congress, visit AMFP or IFHE.
