Va Health Care Leadership Development Program

Kari Steinkamp is the administrative officer for research and development at the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Kari has been working in the Iowa City VA research office since 2006.

Michael Tadych, FACHE 206-277-1340 Director Michael Tadych was appointed the Director at VA Puget Sound Health Care System (VAPSHCS) on May 1, 2017, after previously serving as the Acting Director since January 2016 and the Deputy Director as of 2012. Tadych is responsible for overseeing the highest complexity medical center in VHA, a two-division facility with seven community-based outpatient clinics. Tadych began his VA career in May 1996 at the Hines VA Medical Center in Illinois as a Social Work Intern on an inpatient substance abuse unit. In 1999, he moved on to the Grand Junction VA Medical Center, where he served in a variety of positions that include being the Risk Manager, Patient Safety Manager, Administrative Officer, and the Chief of Clinical Support Service.

With a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1989, Mr. Tadych went on to get his Master’s Degree in Social Work from Chicago’s Loyola University in 1997. In 2009, he graduated from the VHA Executive Career Field Candidate Development Program and completed the VISN 18/19 Leadership Development Institute in 2003 and the VHA Health Care Leadership Development Program in 2007. Tadych is presently a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and Fellow of the VHA Mentor Program. Douglas Galuszcka 206-277-6135 Acting Deputy Director Douglas H. Galuszka was appointed as the Acting Deputy Director for VAPSHCS on November 4, 2018, after previously serving as the VA Puget Sound Patient Experience Officer since 2017.

He is in his 25th year as a Federal healthcare administrator. A native of Grand Blanc, Michigan, he attended Michigan State University where he majored in History. He was enlisted as an Infantryman in the Army Reserves while also enrolled in Army ROTC. After graduating in 1993, Mr Galuszka was commissioned into the Medical Service Corps.

He served a variety of assignments ranging from medical platoon leader in an infantry battalion, to the Support Operations Officer of a multifunctional medical battalion, to Commander of the Warrior Transition Battalion-Europe, to Chief of Logistics at Madigan Army Medical Center. He deployed three times, once as a United Nations Peacekeeper to Skopje, Macedonia in 1994-95 and twice to Iraq - Baghdad in 2006 and Balad in 2008-09 and retired after 27 years of service in 2016.

Galuszka is a graduate of Ranger School, Airborne School, the School of Advanced Military Studies, and also earned the Expert Field Medical Badge. Download pdanet a4150 exemption. He has a master’s degrees in public administration, health administration, military history, and operational planning. He is board certified as a health administrator and a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Kaminetzky, MD, MPH 206-277-1330 Chief of Staff Catherine P. Kaminetzky was appointed as Chief of Staff for the VA Puget Sound Health Care System effective May 28, 2017, after serving as the acting Chief of staff since March 2016. Prior, she served as the Associate Chief of Staff, Education and Director of the Center for Education & Development since 2010.

Additionally, Dr. Kaminetzky practices and teaches outpatient medicine in VA Puget Sound Health Care System’s Seattle Primary Care Clinic, serves as Director of Scholarship in our Center of Excellence in Primary Care Education, and is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington. Prior to joining VA Puget Sound, she was the Associate Chief of Staff, Education at the Durham VA Medical Center beginning in 2007. After completing her undergraduate degree at Stanford, a Masters in Public Health - Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina, School of Public Health, Chapel Hill, she graduated from Duke Medical School, during which she was granted a Howard Hughes Medical Research award. She completed her internal medicine residency training at Duke. Her research interests include medical education and clinical education in ambulatory medicine.

Geraldine L'Heureux MBA, MHA, BSN, RN 206-277-1330 Deputy Director of Patient Care Services Geri L’Heureux was appointed the Deputy Director, Patient Care Services at VA Puget Sound Health Care System on Oct. Prior to joining VA Puget Sound, she was the Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at the Pacific Alliance Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. There she managed the operation of all clinical services including pharmacy, radiology diagnostics, cardiopulmonary, laboratory, environment of care, infection control and nursing services. In addition, she served as an Adjunct Professor at Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles, and oversaw compliance with international Joint Commission accreditation for the Angel Hospital Corporation in Shanghai.