BS, Trinity Univ., San Antonio, TX, 1972
MS, Univ. Southern California, 1976
MHA, Baylor Univ., Waco, TX, 1982
Ph.D., George Washington Univ., Washington, DC, 1988
Professor & Director, Health Systems Admin., Georgetown Univ., Washington, DC, 2003 to present
Chairperson, Assoc. Prof., George Washington Univ., Washington, DC, 1993-2003
Dir. Planning & TQM, Walter Reed AMC, Washington, DC, 1991-93
Hlth. Mgmt. Cons., Ryiad, Saudi Arabia, 1990-91
Change Mgmt. Cons., DoD, Washington, DC., 1988-90
Hlth. Srvc. Pers. Off., OTSG, Washington, DC, 1985-86
Exec. Off., 16th MASH, Ft. Riley, KS, 1983-84
Resident, Irwin CH, Ft. Riley, KS, 1981-82
He is appointed as Professor and Director of Health Systems Administration Programs at Georgetown University where he teaches courses in quality improvement, strategic planning, and organizational behavior. Dr. Horak was Director of Strategic Planning and Total Quality Management at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He has held other positions including that of Chief Operating Officer, Associate Administrator for Clinical Services, and Administrator of a family practice clinic.
Dr. Horak has also been a consultant in the areas of patient safety, teambuilding, cultural change, strategic planning, worker satisfaction, leadership development, customer service, and the use of information technology to improve patient care. His clients have included Humana, Department of Veterans Affairs, Food and Drug Administration, General Services Administration, Smithsonian Institution, DC Primary Care Association, Pfizer, Merck, Provident Bank, and the US Postal Service. Internationally, he has consulted in Poland, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Belize, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia.
In addition to Georgetown, Dr. Horak holds faculty appointments at the Uniformed University for the Health Sciences, the Federal Interagency Institute for Federal Health Care Executives, and the American College of Healthcare Executives. He is a consulting editor of The Journal of Applied Behavioral Sciences and The Journal of Healthcare Management. In 1997, he published the book, Strategic Planning for Healthcare: Building a Quality-Based Plan Step by Step.
Dr. Horak has written numerous papers, presenting at both national and international conferences. In addition, he has given over 150 training programs to professional groups. He has also led or facilitated over 100 strategic planning or team building retreats, including the National Conference on Airbag Disconnection. Dr. Horak is a Fellow in American College of Health Care Executives (FACHE), a Certified Professional of Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), a member of the Organization Development Network, Past President of the Mid-Atlantic Society for Health Systems, and a member of the Capital Area Society for Planning and Marketing. Additionally, he is qualified to administer the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his leadership of medical units during the Gulf War.
Dr. Horak's research and consulting interests are in team building, continuous quality improvement and patient safety, strategic planning, cultural change in organizations, management development, and balanced approaches to managing cost and quality in healthcare.