Boston, MA Matthew Cotton, AIA has been appointed principal at The S/L/A/M Collaborative (SLAM) Boston office. With a background in healthcare and higher education projects, Cotton will help build the firm’s national and regional institutional planning practice. Cotton has 30 years of planning, design, client and team leadership experience in healthcare and higher education, with a particular focus on academic medical center master planning. Much of his recent work has been with national academic institutions where his planning efforts have helped enable the integration of teaching, research, and healthcare missions; the transition of teaching platforms for success with today’s learning models; and the mutual enrichment of institutional campuses and the public realm. He joins SLAM from Perkins Eastman where he served as principal and leader of the institutional planning practice of the firm’s regional office. Within the industry, he has previously held positions with HOK as regional healthcare practice leader and senior vice president; Tsoi/Kobus Associates as associate principal; and The Ritchie Organization. Cotton also brings unique viewpoints to planning and project delivery through his past experience as a software engineer and designer of Intranet-based architectural information systems. “Matt’s extensive background in programming/planning and master planning of academic medical universities and healthcare institutions will provide an invaluable level of expertise to our firm’s two largest market sectors,” said Steve Ansel, AIA, ACHA, chairman of the board of directors and a design principal of SLAM. “He will be integral to our continuing commitment to our clients, projects and in expanding our presence within these markets.” Cotton has led design projects and master plans for notable clients such as Tufts University Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, MASCO (Medical Academic and Scientific Community Organization) in the Longwood Medical area, BJC Healthcare, The Ohio State University, the University of North Carolina, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Thomas Jefferson University, Rush University Medical Center, the University of Vermont, St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center and Stamford Health System among many others. Throughout his career, Cotton has published and presented frequently at conferences nationally such as Tradeline, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), American Society of Healthcare Engineering (ASHE), the New England Healthcare Assembly, and the Boston Society of Architects (BSA) about many planning topics including the connection between strategic enterprise success and capital facility investment. “This position really underscores my interest in planning and the more strategic aspects of project development,” said Cotton. “I look forward to working in the intersection of institutional and urban planning for higher education and healthcare. It’s very much an interdisciplinary approach.” Cotton holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Boston Architectural College, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Physics from Vassar College. A Registered Architect in Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island and Ohio, he holds memberships in the American Institute of Architects (AIA); the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB); the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE); and the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development (SHSMD).