Whitney Perkins Witt • United States of America
Whitney Perkins Witt, PhD, MPH, is a renowned expert and leader in population health, health equity, and health innovation, with a storied career spanning over three decades. Her expertise encompasses leading multidisciplinary teams in developing and implementing strategic health initiatives, pioneering research, and initiating impactful community health programs. These endeavors have significantly advanced healthcare delivery and financing, leading to notable improvements in cost, quality, and patient outcomes.
Throughout her career, Dr. Witt has demonstrated an exceptional ability to secure substantial funding from federal and foundational sources. She has been a principal investigator or program director for numerous high-impact, multimillion-dollar research studies and technical assistance projects. Her work has been supported by crucial institutions such as 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 collaborated on projects funded by the Veterans Administration (VA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Moreover, her research has received backing from influential foundations, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the American Cancer Society, and other notable entities.
Dr. Witt's leadership has been instrumental in establishing the College of Health at Lehigh University, where she served as the inaugural Dean. In this role, she was pivotal in developing the college's first academic programs focused on integrating population health with health innovation and technology, setting a new standard in health education.
Whitney Perkins Witt is President and CEO of Health Equity Consulting (HEC) Group. Under her leadership, HEC has excelled in providing comprehensive solutions to achieve health equity. These include developing methodological approaches and technical strategies that address the complex challenges within the health sector.
As Vice President of Social Determinants of Health at Highmark Health, Dr. Witt led the organization's efforts in community health and social determinants, pioneering research and evaluation strategies that fostered significant community health improvements. Her career also includes a tenure as Vice President at AmeriSpeak of NORC at the University of Chicago, where she expanded the business's federal research initiatives, and as Director at the Center for Maternal and Child Health Research at IBM Watson Health, where she guided significant projects focusing on maternal and child health.
Whitney Perkins Witt's leadership extends beyond her executive roles; she is a thought leader who has published extensively and influenced policy and practice in health care. She has also been an active participant in several academic and professional organizations, contributing her expertise to advance the field of public health. Her educational background includes earning a Doctorate and Master's degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and completing a postdoctoral research fellowship at Harvard University School of Medicine.