Susan Magsamen to Speak at the GWS Symposium, with New Johns Hopkins Collaboration Announcement
The Global Wellness Summit’s New York Symposium on May 12 will feature a highly anticipated session from Susan Magsamen—a leading voice at the intersection of brain science, the arts, and human experience.
Susan will introduce the Intentional Spaces Roadmap: 2026, alongside an exciting new collaboration with the Global Wellness Institute, marking a meaningful step forward in how we understand and design environments for human wellbeing.
As founder and executive director of the International Arts + Mind Lab, Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and assistant professor of neurology, Susan has spent her career translating neuroscience into practical frameworks that shape how we live, work, and heal. Her work explores a fundamental question: how do our environments—what we see, hear, and feel—directly influence our brains, bodies, and behaviors?
This question is becoming increasingly central to the evolution of wellness real estate.
From Aesthetics to Neuroaesthetics
Magsamen is widely recognized for advancing the field of neuroaesthetics, which examines how sensory-rich environments impact cognitive function, emotional regulation, and overall health. Her research suggests that design is not just visual or experiential—it is biological.
Through her work co-directing the NeuroArts Blueprint with the Aspen Institute, and as co-author of the New York Times bestseller Your Brain on Art, she has helped bring this science into mainstream conversation. The implications are significant: spaces can be intentionally designed to support recovery, resilience, creativity, and connection.
Why This Matters Now
As wellness real estate continues to expand globally, the focus is shifting from amenities to outcomes. It’s no longer enough for spaces to look good or feel luxurious. Increasingly, they must support measurable improvements in how people function and feel.
Susan’s upcoming presentation will explore how principles from neuroaesthetics can be applied across real estate, hospitality, healthcare, and urban environments—turning design into a tool for nervous system regulation and whole-body health.
A New Collaboration with GWI
At the Symposium, Susan will also unveil a new collaboration between the Global Wellness Institute and Johns Hopkins—an initiative that signals growing momentum behind evidence-based approaches to wellness in the built environment.
The Intentional Spaces Roadmap: 2026 will offer a forward-looking framework for integrating neuroscience, design, and wellbeing into the places where people spend their time. More details on this collaboration—and its broader implications—will be shared during the session.
A Defining Conversation for the Field
This moment reflects a broader shift underway across the wellness ecosystem: a move toward grounding design decisions in science, and toward creating spaces that actively support human health.
Susan’s work sits at the center of that shift.
Her session at the GWS Symposium will offer both a conceptual lens and a practical roadmap for those shaping the future of wellness real estate—and for anyone interested in how environments can be designed not just to inspire, but to heal.
Join us May 12 in New York City for the Global Wellness Summit’ Wellness Real Estate & Communities Symposium.
Susan Magsamen
Executive Director, International Arts + Mind Lab, Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Susan Magsamen is the founder and executive director of the International Arts + Mind Lab, Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she also serves as assistant professor of neurology. A pioneer at the intersection of brain science and the arts, she is co-author, with Ivy Ross, of the New York Times bestseller Your Brain on Art. She co-directs the NeuroArts Blueprint with the Aspen Institute and is author of the Impact Thinking model.
