Whitney Perkins Witt

About Whitney Perkins Witt

Whitney Perkins Witt, PhD, MPH, is an internationally recognized senior leader, executive, and scholar in population health, health equity, and health innovation. Dr. Witt has 30 years of experience leading multidisciplinary teams to develop and implement strategic health initiatives, conduct research, and launch innovative community health and technical assistance programs. In addition, she has grown portfolios of work, particularly in healthcare delivery and financing, to improve cost, quality, and patient-related outcomes. Dr. Witt has had a significant impact on the field, exemplified by significant federal and foundation funding, influential publications, and leadership positions.

Research and Leadership

Dr. Witt has a strong record of leading and executing sponsored research focused on equity and the SDOH. She has served as Principal Investigator/Program Director on multimillion-dollar, federally funded research studies and technical assistance 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 served as a collaborator on projects funded by the Veterans Administration (VA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). In addition, Dr. Witt’s research has been funded by foundations, including the Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Foundation, the American Cancer Society (ACS), the Lynn Sage Cancer Research Foundation, and the Francis Family Foundation. Dr. Witt’s leadership recently secured research funding for the economic, social, and health-related impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, this research included using advanced data analytics to predict and forecast the COVID-19 pandemic to provide real-time actionable information to local, regional, and national public health officials.

Career Milestones

Over her career, Dr. Witt has worked across population health, public health, and social service sectors—spanning academia, private corporations, and nonprofit and governmental organizations. She has deep expertise in business development, strategy, and operations, particularly at IBM Watson Health, Truven Health Analytics, Ingenix Pharmaceutical Services, and the Medstat Group, Inc. As the inaugural Dean of the College of Health at Lehigh University, she provided strategic and operational leadership to establish the first educational programs focused on population health and health innovation and technology in the US. Over her career, she has been responsible for and managed multimillion-dollar P&L.

Partnership and Team Building

Dr. Witt is experienced in developing and maintaining key partnerships, engaging in collaborative decision-making, and fostering a culture of teamwork and transparency. She has developed and cultivated collaborations with federal and other key external partners. External partners include US-based and global academic institutions, corporations, non-governmental organizations, foundations, and non-federal governmental organizations to build networks to support initiatives. These collaborations have resulted in Dr. Witt’s success in fundraising campaigns.

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