Sarah Pavelka, PhD, MHA, OTR/L, CPHQ, FNAHQ

Sarah Pavelka, PhD, MHA, OTR/L, CPHQ, FNAHQ has over 20 years of experience leading and coaching in organizational performance and continuous improvement in business, industry, education, and healthcare. Sarah is currently the Academic Program Director for the Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) and BS Health Management degrees at Walden University. 
 
Dr. Pavelka has extensive professional experiences including, a subject matter expert for the National Association for Healthcare, a 13-year faculty member for the Master’s in Healthcare Administration program at Des Moines University, Improvement Faculty for the Iowa Healthcare Collaborative, and Director of the Occupational Therapy department for Pella Regional Health Center in Pella, Iowa.  In these roles, Sarah was one of the first leaders to bring Lean/Toyota Manufacturing techniques into healthcare organizations across the U.S. and Canada. Dr. Pavelka’s extensive volunteer experiences included being a five-time National Baldrige examiner, seven-year state examiner for the Iowa Baldrige program, Director-at-Large for the National Association for Healthcare Quality Board, and a task force member for the Iowa Hospital Association.

Sarah holds degrees in Biology and Psychology from Luther College; an Occupational Therapy degree from Concordia University-Wisconsin; MHA from Des Moines University, and a Ph.D. from Walden University. She is a Fellow for the National Association for Healthcare Quality (FNAHQ); a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ); and has credentials in Occupational Therapy, Ergonomics, Lean, and Six Sigma Black Belt. 

Abigail Chihak, MSW, MPH

Abigail Chihak, MSW, MPH is the Community Health Administrator at the Dallas County Health Department. In service to the residents of Dallas County, Chihak oversees the Health Navigation program, conducts the county needs assessment, develops and implements the county health improvement plan, provides technical assistance to local community groups, and engages the community through various outreach and media efforts. Chihak earned her Bachelors of Science and Bachelors of Social Work from Briar Cliff University. During that time, she found a love for the social determinants of health and soon after enrolled in the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis where she earned her Masters of Public Health and Masters of Social Work. Chihak strives to address the social determinants of health in her communities so that every resident has the opportunity to make healthy choices.