Stefanie Pawluk, MPH, is Policy Director, Heartland Whole Health Institute. In this role, she will oversee and lead the development and implementation of public policy and public affairs strategies for Alice L. Walton School of Medicine and Heartland Whole Health Institute. She has an extensive career in health policy and government relations and has participated in health reform and payment innovation initiatives from the perspectives of state regulators, health systems, payors, and purchasers.

Before joining the innovative efforts in Northwest Arkansas, Pawluk was the Director of Insurance andManaged Care at the Healthcare Association of New York State, a hospital association. There, she developed and implemented a robust managed care and insurance advocacy agenda focused onpayor-provider relationships, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), payment reform, and more. Pawluk was also a Senior Consultant in Data Governance and Policy working on New York State’s all payor claims database implementation. Pawluk previously served as a Policy Coordinator within the New York StateDepartment of Health, where she successfully co-authored a $100M State Innovations Model award from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation.

Additionally, she was a Government Affairs Coordinator for a regional health plan during the development and passage of the ACA, and New York’s development of prior approval law for health insurance premium rates. Pawluk holds a Master’s in Public Health from the State University of NewYork in Albany.