Columbia Management

Deborah D. Sabella,

MA, BSN, RN, CNA, BC

Chief Executive Officer

Mrs. Sabella has more than 15 years of healthcare experience in a not-for-profit hospital, with 13 of those years in management. She has medical-surgical, orthopaedics, inpatient rehabilitation, and case management experience. Her experiences include participation in developing an orthopaedic program, specializing in joint replacements, as well as being involved in the developing and opening of an inpatient rehabilitation unit. Her position as Program Manager for the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit allowed her to gain experience regarding admission criteria, Medicare requirements, coding, and utilization review. Mrs. Sabella has provided many educational programs regarding arthritis and joint problems as well as the benefits of an inpatient rehab unit.

Mrs. Sabella ’s strengths are in customer relations. Throughout her career, she has been able to provide optimal patient care in addition to developing strong relations with staff and physicians. Patient advocacy is her focus and she will address any issues necessary to ensure appropriate care is given. Mrs. Sabella has worked closely with physicians to develop new programs and create services that are an asset to the customer and the organization.

Mrs. Sabella has experience as the Nurse Manager of the Joint Replacement Center and Case Management at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau, MO. She also was the Program Manager for the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit and most recently a Director of Patient Care at the same facility. In this position, she was responsible for 5 nursing units, in addition to the House Supervisors and the Resource Team.

Mrs. Sabella earned a BSN from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and a MA from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. She holds a certification in nursing administration (CNA).

Rajiv Dhand,

MD, FCCP, FACP, FAARC

Medical Director

Rajiv Dhand received his MBBS degree from the Medical College of Amritsar, India and went on to earn his MD in Internal Medicine from the prestigious Postgraduate Institute in Chandigarh, India. He did his post-doctoral Pulmonary Fellowship training at the University of Washington, and the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University of Chicago. He then served on the faculty in the Department of Medicine at the Stritch School of Medicine from 1993 through 2001. From there, Dr. Dhand transferred to the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he is currently Director of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Environmental Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. Dhand also serves as the Director of the Pulmonary Fellowship Program, Medical Director of the Step-Down Unit, and Medical Director of the Respiratory Therapy Department.

A Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Physicians and American Association of Respiratory Care, Dr. Dhand is also a member of the American Thoracic Society, and served as an invited member of the ATS World Lung Health Committee. He also holds memberships in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the European Respiratory Society, the International Society for Aerosols in Medicine, American Association of Respiratory Care, and the American College of Chest Physicians. From 2002 through 2005, he served as the Vice President of the Missouri Thoracic Society.

Dr. Dhand has been, and continues to be, a member of the editorial boards of several professional journals, including Chest, the Journal of Aerosol Medicine, Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine, International Journal of COPD, Advances in Therapy, and Respiratory Care. He is best known for his research work with aerosol therapy. During the course of his career, Dr. Dhand has published more than 100 peer reviewed articles, editorials, and book chapters. Lecturing extensively nationally and internationally, Dr. Dhand has been invited to speak on a variety of topics related to Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.