NDNU Alum Wais Abdiani Manages Finances for the Design and Construction of the New Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford

Wais Abdiani, who earned his MBA from Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU) in 2009, is the program finance manager for the new state-of-the art Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, scheduled to open in December 2017.

More than doubling the facility’s original size, the new building for Packard Children’s Hospital will be the most technologically advanced, family-friendly, and environmentally sustainable hospital for children and expectant mothers in the nation.

“I’m excited to go to work every day to help with the construction of a hospital that will break new ground in many ways,” says Wais. The hospital is technologically advanced in its use of hybrid operating rooms equipped to take x-rays while a patient is in surgery, and it’s family friendly in providing homey private suites with accommodations for up to two relatives, as well as showers and kitchens. The design is a work of art, filled with nature-themed play spaces, gardens, and artwork, and a cafeteria with a wood-burning pizza oven and local organic food.

The hospital offers activities for both patients and their siblings, from a video broadcast studio to a digital interactive wall where children use their body movements to engage with an educational nature story on the screen.

“To outfit the new hospital involved the purchase of over 15,000 pieces of medical equipment and 4,700 pieces of furniture, among many other items,” Wais recounts. “What motivates me to do this work is knowing that children with the greatest medical challenges will come here and receive the best possible treatment.” The hospital is also environmentally friendly, including a wind turbine, and a cistern to collect rainwater for the gardens. “We used recycled wood and steel for many of the building components,” Wais describes.

Wais was born in a refugee camp and emigrated to the United States with his family at a young age. After earning a bachelor’s degree, Wais was able to enter the MBA program at NDNU with the help of financial aid. “Attending the MBA at NDNU was one of the best things that ever happened to me,“ he recalls. “The professors took an interest and encouraged me. At NDNU I took classes that offered project management skills I immediately applied to my work. The university also provided an atmosphere of compassion and harmony.”

Wais laments the current stigma that is often attached to refugees: “Refugees come to the United States to seek a safe haven from war, embrace Western values, raise families, and work hard to give back to this great country.”

For general information about Notre Dame de Namur University, please visit the website. For information about earning an MBA at NDNU, please visit the program’s webpage.