Operating and maintaining one of the nation’s top hospitals requires knowledge and experience; Walt Dubois has both. He has spent the last 13 years working at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, a 673-bed, not-for-profit teaching hospital in Phoenix. It is composed of nine interconnected facilities and six additional onsite buildings, totaling more than 2.7 million sq ft. Holding both a principal engineer (P.E.) and certified healthcare facility manager (CHFM) designation, Dubois has been an invaluable asset. “This is a dynamic environment,” the facility manager says. “There is no room for complacency here.”

The standards are high, and pressure to provide a positive patient experience at St. Joseph’s is great. The outside environment is one of the most challenging in the world, coupling 118°F summertime temperatures with surprisingly high humidity in the rainy season. The facility is among the 17,000 health care organizations accredited by the Joint Commission and is part of Catholic Healthcare West, the eighth largest hospital provider in the nation. Additionally, St. Joseph’s has been ranked number eight for neurology and neurosurgery by U.S. News & World Report in its 2010-2011 study of the best hospitals in the United States.