Your department runs well because you run it well.
🔥 You deliver results.
🔥 You lead with intention.
🔥 You think beyond your department.

You notice opportunities beyond departmental performance:
➡️ Teams are asked to execute, but are rarely brought together across departments to plan for the work
➡️ Complex priorities span multiple departments, yet accountability remains tied to individual areas
➡️ Collaboration depends on existing relationships rather than a shared, repeatable approach
➡️ System initiatives move forward, but integration is assumed rather than designed
➡️ The full potential of coordinated work remains unrealized

What is often missing is a practical, evidence-based way to design how teams work together across departments so collaboration becomes consistent, visible, and effective at the system level.

🩵 My Approach
I guide and partner with healthcare leaders working inside fragmented systems to intentionally design collaboration across departments by:
✅ intentionally bringing the right professions and patient perspectives into planning, not just execution
✅ preparing department-based teams to work effectively in interprofessional environments
✅ building capability in the science of teaming so collaboration is not left to trial and error
✅ creating dedicated time and structure for teams to learn, practice, and apply interprofessional collaboration
✅ designing collaborative structures that support consistent, sustainable, system-level results

When teams are prepared, supported, and connected through intentional design, collaboration becomes sustainable, visible, and capable of addressing system-level priorities over time.

🪜 Ways We Can Work Together:
1️⃣ Collaboration Readiness Snapshot (Free) 
2️⃣ Interprofessional Leadership Lab 
3️⃣ 1:1 Project Partnership 

💙 Who I Am
Educator, administrator, researcher, and interprofessional collaboration expert working at the intersection of healthcare practice, education, and system design.

I partner with healthcare leaders to design system-level collaboration, and translate that work into clear evidence of leadership impact, so it can be articulated on resumes, CVs, portfolios, and in executive conversations before the next administrative opportunity arises.

This is proactive leadership.
Doing the work, and being ready to show it.

If you are ready to work beyond your department and build system-level results you can stand behind,
📩 DM me and let’s get started.

That’s not a critique of education.

It’s a reflection of reality.

Much of interprofessional education (IPE) is designed to be visible and synchronous. 

Learners come together in the same place, at the same time, to practice communication, roles, and teamwork.

Interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) often looks very different. 

It is frequently asynchronous, embedded in systems, and shaped by design decisions such as
✅ who can initiate a referral
✅ who is invited to system-level committees
✅ who is included early versus after decisions are made

These everyday actions reinforce how collaboration is experienced in practice.

Intentionally designing a collaborative culture across the system is essential to solving  complex healthcare challenges.

undefined undefined

Guiding Leaders to Design Cross-Department Collaboration That Delivers System-Level Impact | Interprofessional Healthcare Team Architect | Textbook Author

Collaboration is expected in healthcare.

Yet most systems were never designed for interprofessional work.

You can see the need for cross-department solutions.

You understand that outcomes depend on more than one profession...
and yet, problems are still handed off, siloed, or addressed one department at a time.

Not because leaders do not care.

Not because teams do not try.

But because no one ever designed the structures that make collaboration possible across the system.

Fragmentation is not a leadership failure.

It is a system design gap and gaps do not close themselves.

👉 This is exactly the work I help healthcare leaders do:

Design interprofessional structures that make collaboration a daily habit instead of an exception.

Tina Patel Gunaldo, PhD, DPT, MHS

𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫!

When we work interprofessionally, it is our responsibility to
1️⃣ empower and have the patient/client be the leader of their health team
2️⃣ be interdependent (what I do impacts you and what you do impacts me)
3️⃣ embed the evidence-based science of teamwork and communication into our practice

I am an innovative and results-driven healthcare leader with a record of developing, implementing, and sustaining programs that strengthen operations, workforce engagement, and community impact and known for transforming visionary ideas into lasting, evidence-based systems that improve access, quality, and performance across clinical, academic, and community settings.

I bring together clinicians, administrators, educators, and community partners around shared goals that advance patient care and organizational excellence. I have demonstrated success in designing scalable models, securing multimillion-dollar funding, and launching initiatives adopted statewide and nationally. Introducing programs that had never existed within the institution, such as launching Louisiana’s first hospital-based food pantry to establishing the state’s first Interprofessional Consortium and vaccination training for dentists, is what I do best. I lead with creativity, courage, and operational insight to align teams, strengthen services, and deliver measurable results that advance organizational excellence.

Six Sigma Global Institute

Green Belt Healthcare Certification SSGI

Capella University

Boston University

Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center

American Interprofessional Health Collaborative

American Physical Therapy Association

Southeast Louisiana Area Health Education Center (AHEC)

HPA The Catalyst

North Oaks Health System

•	Launched Louisiana’s first in-hospital USDA-certified food pantry, delivering more than 450 food bags (10,000 lbs) to patients and employees/families; secured $16,000+ in funding, and built partnerships with external organizations to address food insecurities. 
•	Developed community resource lists addressing health-related social needs, behavioral health, maternal health, pediatrics and older adults for use by healthcare teams and public web access.
•	Leading system alignment with CMS Age-Friendly Hospital Measure and leading disparity initiative for CMS Patient Safety Structural Measure to ensure compliance and improve quality and operational performance.
•	Directing redesign of patient fall prevention and reporting.
•	Designed and hosting the region’s first Health Equity Summit, convening leaders across healthcare, business, government, faith-based, non-profit and agriculture sectors to identify systemic barriers and implement collective strategies to advance community health.
•	Directed the system’s first Community Health Needs Assessment, capturing 1,582 surveys, 11%, 13%, and 141% higher than three surrounding multi-hospital regions.
•	Partnered with Marketing to highlight over 60 health professions aligned with national professional awareness initiatives.
•	Planning a Healthy Aging Fair to connect older adults with preventive screenings, resources and education, strengthening community engagement in wellness and preventive care.

Health Equity & Interprofessional Collaborative Practice Coordinator

Collaborate for Health

Owner

LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans

•	Streamlined interprofessional curriculum delivery, achieving a 300% improvement in learning outcomes and $250,000 in annual savings while reducing classroom time by 50%.
•	Established Team Up: Compassion, Communication, Collaboration®, a nationally registered interprofessional curriculum adopted by 1,500 students across 19 health professions, organized into 120 interprofessional teams.
•	Developed a pre-health pipeline program that generated sustainable revenue and increased professional school matriculation rates by 9.2%.
•	Founded the Louisiana Interprofessional Consortium, bringing together 25 universities and colleges to strengthen statewide interprofessional education and collaborative practice initiatives.
•	Developed and implemented Louisiana’s first COVID-19 vaccination training for dentists, collaborating with the Louisiana Dental Association and the School of Public Health, expanding the state’s vaccinator workforce and increasing vaccine access.

Director, Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice

SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AREA HEALTH EDUCATION CENTER

Secured $3M in state funding to deliver critical health services for infants and toddlers with developmental delays.

Director, Education Planning and Research

•	Created and implemented the School’s inaugural Family Day, establishing a tradition that strengthened the School’s culture of community.
•	Launched the first onsite Job Fair, recruiting employer partners and raising nearly $60,000 to support student participation in professional conferences.
•	Designed and implemented the School’s first alumni campaign following Hurricane Katrina, generating $70,000 in program support.
•	Led implementation of a new electronic learning management system for students and faculty;  transitioned faculty and course evaluations from paper-based to electronic platforms, improving efficiency and data accuracy across nine academic programs.
•	Educated students in healthcare administration and management courses across multiple programs, including clinical laboratory science, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, respiratory therapy, and cardiovascular sonography.

Clinical Instructor

Supported the transition of the Physical Therapy curriculum from a Master’s to a Doctoral program.

Physical Therapy Instructor

•	Delivered direct patient care as a physical therapist and progressively advanced to supervisory and management roles.
•	Provided operational leadership for outpatient rehabilitation services, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and audiology.
•	Established specialty women’s healthcare rehabilitation program for pelvic pain and incontinence, offering non-medication and non-surgical treatment options.
•	Developed and expanded the aquatic therapy program, first opening off-site services through a community partnership and later opening an onsite aquatic therapy center.
•	Managed outpatient rehabilitation clinic including PT, OT, speech, audiology, and athletic training services, and led scheduling redesign to expand patient access and strengthen departmental financial performance.

Coordinator, Outpatient Rehabilitation Services Department

Anyone can manage a team. Few can lead an interprofessional one. | Architect of high-performing interprofessional teams | From science to practice | Turning collaboration into a daily habit

Elevate the performance of your teams. Effective debriefing is the secret weapon to foster a culture of continuous improvement and excellence. This comprehensive strategic checklist is your roadmap to success, covering the structure, process and resources needed for every aspect of debriefing. Empower your team to thrive in an environment that encourages open communication, fosters learning, and drives positive growth.

Complimentary Debriefing Resource

You are the best advocate for yourself! This informative free guide provides you with the education and resources needed to begin building your dream team! Be empowered to advocate for your rights through patient-centered care; choose members of your health care team; and take charge of your health through education. It's time to lead your journey minimizing potential future communication and coordination frustrations within the healthcare system.

Complimentary Patient Resource

If someone asked "Does it really matter what word we use to describe a health team?" - how would you respond? I would say YES, words do matter! Join me in spreading the word, educating our colleagues, and advocating for the gold standard in care.

Types of Health Teams

I have created a Facebook group if you would like to join our community. Through sharing stories and information, we will learn from each other and become more confident in advocating for better health and health care. In our community I want us to share the good stories and the not-so-good ones...all with a focus of learning through knowledge, grace, and compassion.

Join our Facebook Community Group

Healthcare Team Architect Solving Fragmented Care Through System-Level Collaboration | Designing Interprofessional and Cross-Department Teams | Textbook Author

Interprofessional Job Alert

This is the second interprofessional role I have seen posted in 2026!

Positions like this signal investment in interprofessional education as a training ground for collaborative-practice ready graduates.

Roles like this exist because collaboration cannot be left to chance.

Please repost if you believe your community would benefit from knowing about this position.

We are ready to grow the interprofessional community!

#WeAreBetterTogether
#CollaborateForHealth

I recently read an overview of an upcoming American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Congress session by Patrick Lencioni, and it was encouraging to see trust, clarity, and courage are being named as essential for healthcare teams.

Many leaders already believe this.
 
They have
 📖 read the books
 🎧 listened to the podcasts
 🫂 attended the conferences

Yet healthcare continues to struggle with teamwork at the system level.

We have a system design problem.

What remains difficult is knowing how to intentionally design interprofessional teams that work across departments and service lines.

This is not a motivation problem.

It is a design and knowledge gap.

Moving forward requires belief and intentional system design.

If this resonates, you are not alone.

This is the work I help healthcare leaders make practical.

Healthcare’s system-level problems need system-level solutions.

Interprofessional Job Alert

What a way to start off 2026!

Positions like this show how organizations are operationalizing interprofessional learning and collaboration and making intentional decisions to prioritize interprofessional work.

Even if you are not job searching, these roles provide insight into where the field is investing, evolving, and gaining traction.

#WeAreBetterTogether
#CollaborateForHealth

Your team runs well and you know it.

The question many nursing leaders are asking now is not how to fix what’s broken, but how to elevate what’s already working and extend that impact beyond their department.

On Thursday, I’ll be speaking at a  Sigma webinar to explore how interprofessional teams can support both performance and well-being.

The workforce data are clear.
More than 138,000 nurses have left the profession since 2022, with stress and burnout cited as leading contributors.

High-functioning teams matter.

Well-designed interprofessional teams help leaders:
1️⃣ strengthen coordination across roles and departments
2️⃣ reduce unnecessary burden on their teams
3️⃣ increase visibility and influence at the system level
In this session, we’ll explore how nursing leaders can intentionally design interprofessional teamwork in ways that support daily operations and position them as collaborative leaders beyond their unit or department.

If you are thinking about how to elevate your team’s impact and be ready for broader system-level responsibility, I would be glad to have you join us.

Registration link in the comments.

Thanks to Jennifer Bodine DNP, MHA, NPDA-BC®, CEN for this opportunity.

Collaboration rarely succeeds by accident.

It works best when leaders intentionally design systems that support interprofessional work.

❓What is most intentionally designed to support collaboration where you work?

One of the most overlooked forms of collaboration healthcare leaders encounter every day is the referral.

🤝 When a referral is placed thoughtfully, with context, clear questions, and an understanding of how another profession will contribute, interprofessional collaboration is happening.

Most leaders see referrals every day in charts, dashboards, or reports.

🔄 What is often missed is that these moments represent asynchronous collaboration across professions, not just administrative tasks.

When leaders name referrals as a form of collaborative practice, something shifts.

Frontline team members begin to understand that how they communicate, what information they include, and when they involve others matters.

Collaboration does not always require everyone in the same room at the same time.

It often shows up in how care is coordinated across professions over time.

Recognizing these moments helps leaders expand how collaboration is understood across the organization, making it more visible, more intentional, and more sustainable.

It's not about trying harder.

It's about intentionally designing Interprofessional collaboration.

When you identify what an interprofessional team needs, the next step is asking:
➡️ What can I influence or suggest to help develop this?

System-level engagement does not require formal authority.

It often starts when individuals name gaps, propose structure, and support shared development beyond their department.

This week brings awareness to CRNAs (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists), and it’s a reminder that professional awareness is also system awareness.

When CRNAs are included early in care coordination and workflow design, care is more coordinated, decisions are clearer, and systems function more intentionally across departments.

Celebrating professions matters, but designing teams that fully leverage their expertise is what drives system-level results.

🎉 This week, take a moment to recognize the CRNAs you work alongside with and reflect on how their expertise is integrated into care planning, not just execution.

Tag a colleague to show your appreciation.

Healthcare leaders often bring insight that can strengthen system-level decisions.

When that insight is not invited early enough or beyond a single department, one option is to look for interprofessional, system-level initiatives where multiple perspectives are essential.

For example, measures like the CMS Age-Friendly Hospital framework span domains such as mobility, medication, mentation, and what matters most. These efforts are inherently interprofessional by design.

If you are a physical therapist, pharmacist, or registered dietitian nutritionist and are not a part of your organization's workgroup or committee, this is an opportunity to step forward and contribute.

Healthcare’s system-level problems need system-level solutions.

Who can initiate a referral in your system?

🔄 A referral is a form of asynchronous interprofessional collaboration.

When referral workflows limit who can initiate collaboration, systems reinforce hierarchy rather than teamwork.

When referrals can flow in multiple directions, team members across professions begin to see themselves as active contributors to care coordination, not just recipients of decisions.

These design choices matter.

They shape
➡️ who participates in collaboration,
➡️ when collaboration happens, and
➡️ whether it becomes a habit across the organization.

This is the kind of system-level work I do with healthcare leaders. 

I help them notice where collaboration is already happening, identify where structures unintentionally limit it, and redesign processes so interprofessional collaboration becomes part of everyday work rather than another initiative.

If you want more practical, system-level ideas like this,
📩 message me. 

Let’s design it together.

taplio

Tina Gunaldo's Linkedin Analytics

Tina Patel Gunaldo, PhD, DPT, MHS

Performance ScoreTina Patel Gunaldo, PhD, DPT, MHS's LinkedIn Performance

Tina Patel Gunaldo, PhD, DPT, MHS's Best Posts (last 30 days)

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

.css-6ytdur{background-image:linear-gradient(284deg, rgba(39, 43, 72, 1) 0%, rgba(33, 47, 183, 1) 100%);color:transparent;-webkit-background-clip:text;background-clip:text;}Tina Gunaldo's Linkedin Analytics

Tina Patel Gunaldo, PhD, DPT, MHS

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Tina Patel Gunaldo, PhD, DPT, MHS's LinkedIn Performance

Tina Patel Gunaldo, PhD, DPT, MHS's Best Posts .css-1emoo84{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:400;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);}(last 30 days)

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Tina Gunaldo's Linkedin Analytics

Performance ScoreTina Patel Gunaldo, PhD, DPT, MHS's LinkedIn Performance

Tina Patel Gunaldo, PhD, DPT, MHS's Best Posts (last 30 days)