CommunityHealth is thrilled to welcome our newest staff member, Paola Seguil! Today is her first day as the CommunityHealth Director of Clinic Operations.
Paola is a healthcare improvement leader with 8 years’ experience in coaching and supporting clinical staff and stakeholders through improvement projects. She is passionate about utilizing and sharing data to empower teams and inform decision making to deliver high-quality care to medically underserved communities.
Paola is a Registered Dietitian and a Group Fitness instructor, having previously volunteered at CommunityHealth in both of those roles. In 2015, she received CommunityHealth’s Health Education Volunteer of the Year Award, a recognition that holds a special place in her heart. We’re always happy when a member of our volunteer team joins our permanent staff.
Paola and her family moved to the US from Peru when she was young, and she has dedicated her career to addressing health inequities and improving the health and well-being of immigrant communities to help families like her own. In her previous role at Esperanza Health Centers, Paola served as Manager of Quality Improvement and Practice Transformation, where she oversaw the Patient Centered Medical Home recognition process for five clinic sites. She led a team that generated reports and dashboards and analyzed data to track progress on clinical quality measures, patient satisfaction measures, and operational excellence measures. They also implemented QI initiatives throughout the organization, which resulted in receiving HRSA’s Health Center Quality Leader award for ranking among the top 30% of health centers for best overall clinical performance in 2020.
Prior to joining Esperanza, Paola worked at Northwestern University, where she collaborated with researchers, health centers, and community-based organizations to develop and evaluate healthy lifestyle programs for chronic disease prevention and management, as well as trained community partners to facilitate the programs and engaged them in capacity building. She received her master’s degree in nutrition from the University of Illinois at Chicago, focusing on public health nutrition and behavioral science, as well as a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from the Ohio State University.
Outside the office, Paola enjoys staying active, whether it’s rollerblading, playing tennis, weightlifting at the gym, or salsa dancing. “People who love to eat are always the best people” is one of her favorite quotes, as Paola is a lover of all foods and enjoys exploring the food and drink scene in different neighborhoods, as well as cooking at home with her husband.
Paola, we’re so excited to have you with us!