Whitney Perkins Witt
President and CEO; Health and Healthcare
Whitney Perkins Witt, PhD, MPH, has established herself as a leading figure internationally, known for her extensive expertise in population health, health equity, and health innovation. With a career spanning over three decades, she has successfully led multidisciplinary teams in crafting and implementing strategic health initiatives, conducting impactful research, and initiating innovative community health and technical assistance programs. Her efforts have significantly enhanced healthcare delivery and financing, notably improving cost efficiency, care quality, and patient outcomes.
Research Leadership and Contributions
Dr. Witt has an outstanding record of directing research on equity and social determinants of health (SDOH). She has held principal investigator and program director roles in multimillion-dollar research projects funded by prominent federal agencies, including 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). Her collaborative work extends to projects supported by the Veterans Administration (VA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Foundations such as the Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Foundation and the American Cancer Society (ACS) have also funded her research. Recently, her leadership has secured funding to explore the economic, social, and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing advanced data analytics for real-time public health responses.
Diverse Professional Experience
Over her illustrious career, Dr. Witt has made significant contributions across various sectors, including academia, private industry, and nonprofit organizations. Her extensive business development, strategy, and operations expertise is well-documented through her roles at notable organizations such as IBM Watson Health, Truven Health Analytics, and the Medstat Group, Inc. As the Inaugural Dean of the College of Health at Lehigh University, she spearheaded establishing the university's first educational programs centered on population health and health innovation.
Strategic Partnerships and Organizational Leadership
Whitney Perkins Witt is highly skilled in developing strategic partnerships and fostering a culture of teamwork and transparency. She has successfully cultivated collaborations with various US-based and global entities, including academic institutions, corporations, non-governmental organizations, and governmental agencies. These partnerships have significantly boosted her successful fundraising efforts.
Current Leadership Roles
Currently, Dr. Witt serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Health Equity Consulting (HEC) Group, where she oversees the delivery of solutions to achieve health equity. Her leadership extends to her role as Vice President of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) at Highmark Health, where she leads significant initiatives to enhance community health and address social determinants impacting health outcomes.
Academic Achievements and Early Career
Before her roles at Highmark and HEC, Dr. Witt was a vice president at AmeriSpeak and previously served as the Inaugural Dean and Professor at the College of Health at Lehigh University. Her academic appointments have included positions at prestigious institutions such as Harvard Medical School, Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her educational background is rooted in a strong foundation from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Harvard University, complemented by her undergraduate degree from Hampshire College.
Whitney Perkins Witt's contributions to the field through leadership, research, and academic roles have not only shaped current health policies and practices. Still, they are also paving the way for future advancements in public health.
To learn more, Watch Now:
Short Video
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