Katie Abbott, MHA, FACHE
Heartbeat on the Street: Designing a Street Medicine + Nutrition Program
Katie Abbott, MHA, FACHE, Founder, Chief Operating Officer | MitoKhon Advisors
During this two hour session participants will walk through an interactive human-centered design session focused on developing a Street Medicine + Nourishment program to provide culturally congruent health and wrap-around services to those experiencing homelessness. Using social medicine as a foundational lens for this workshop, participants will work together to design and iterate upon a street medicine program (from idea to implementation). Depending on the group size, this may be done in one large group, or smaller teams.
Key learnings and takeaways: (1) Learn the cornerstones of social medicine as a foundation to street medicine [Social and Structural Drivers of Health (SSDOH), interdisciplinary approach, prevention and health promotion, social justice), (2) Gain a deep, heart-centered understanding of the complex needs and challenges faced by of the most vulnerable individuals and communities, (3) understand the intricacies of working within regulatory requirements while delivering innovative care rooted in equity and dignity, (4) collaborate across sectors, lived experience, and expertise to learn from one another and “see, hear, and feel” differently, and (5) inspire individuals and teams to take lessons learned (mini, small, or big) from the session and integrate into their lives to make a ripple effect of social impact.
About Katie
Katie Abbott, MHA, FACHE is a third generation heart-centered entrepreneur on a mission to inspire more joy, health and wellbeing in the world. A Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), Katie is a visionary upstreamist thinker dedicated to identifying and healing the root causes of broken processes and systems in healthcare.
With expertise in complex matrixed healthcare operations, strategic business planning, and multi-million dollar program development and implementation, Katie creates holistic solutions that drive meaningful and sustainable change. Her career is a testament to her relentless drive to simplify complexity, empower teams, and transform healthcare systems to better serve all people—especially the most vulnerable.
Katie was a key leader in designing and operating Stanford Health Care’s South Bay Cancer Center, which integrated academic medicine with community oncology. As the founding co-chair of the center’s Patient and Family Advisory Council, she helped create a center recognized globally as the “cancer center designed by patients, for patients”. Her career spans the healthcare continuum with progressive leadership roles at Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan and Indiana University Health.
Through her passion and expertise as a certified yoga teacher and Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Katie teaches women leaders to build an empowered relationship with their stress so they can achieve (and be present for) what matters most - without sacrificing their health, wellbeing and authenticity.
Rooted in her commitment to equity, innovation, and holistic care, Katie continues to lead with a heart-centered approach, always focused on creating systems that work with and for the people they serve. She holds a deep belief that healthcare can one day become a true sanctuary of healing.
Katie serves on the Alumni Board for Indiana University’s Fairbanks School of Public Health, is a past President of Women Health Care Executives (WHCE) and a past board member of the California Association of Healthcare Executives (CAHL).
Katie volunteers with Kara Grief as a group facilitator for children and young adults who have experienced the death of someone special, providing them the opportunity to grieve in a supportive environment.
Superpowers:
1. Master Synthesizer – I have an incredible ability to take in diverse pieces of information and connect the dots, creating clarity, meaning, and direction in complex situations.
2. Insightful Questioning – My genuine curiosity and curated questions inspire deep thought and personal growth. I help people find their own answers by guiding them to think critically and introspectively.
3. Staying Power – When things get tough, sticky, uncomfortable, I hold empowered space for transformation and don’t walk away.