Whitney Perkins Witt

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Whitney Perkins Witt

Whitney Perkins Witt, PhD, MPH, has garnered international acclaim as a leader in the intersecting fields of population health, health equity, and health innovation, drawing from her 30 years of rich experience. Her professional journey is highlighted by her successful leadership in deploying strategic health initiatives, spearheading impactful research, and initiating community health programs that significantly improve healthcare delivery, financing, and patient outcomes.

Dr. Witt has effectively led and managed large, multidisciplinary teams through complex projects that have culminated in enhanced care quality and efficiency. Her efforts have been backed by significant federal and foundation funding, a testament to her skill in cultivating influential projects that contribute widely to public health knowledge and practice. Her roles have included principal investigator and program director for projects sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). She has also contributed as a collaborator on research funded by entities such as the Veterans Administration (VA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Additionally, her work has attracted the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the American Cancer Society, and other notable foundations.

Previously, Whitney Perkins Witt has held significant roles in academia and the healthcare industry, demonstrating deep expertise in business development, strategy, and operations. Her notable tenure as the inaugural Dean of the College of Health at Lehigh University saw her laying the foundational educational programs that uniquely integrate population health with health technology, a first in the U.S.

She serves as the President and CEO of Health Equity Consulting (HEC) Group, leading efforts to bridge health gaps through comprehensive, innovative strategies. Her previous position as Vice President of the Social Determinants of Health at Highmark Health involved leading initiatives strategically addressing community health disparities.

Before her roles at Highmark and HEC, Dr. Witt was pivotal at AmeriSpeak of NORC at the University of Chicago, where she expanded the platform's research initiatives. At IBM Watson Health, she directed major research projects under the CMS. These positions underscore her vast expertise in directing research and strategy in health policy and management.

Whitney Perkins Witt's educational background is as prestigious as her professional one, holding a PhD and MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and completing a postdoctoral fellowship in Pediatric Health Services Research at Harvard University School of Medicine. She also holds a bachelor's degree from Hampshire College, where she studied Law and Women's Studies. She is not only a thought leader through her executive roles but also through her scholarly contributions, including over 60 peer-reviewed publications and chapters, continually advancing the field of public health.

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