For the 2025-26 academic year, the Department of Health Policy and Management is pleased to announce that Michael Yantis, MA, will join the department as its Public Health Leader-in-Residence (PHLIR).
The Public Health Leader-in-Residence program enhances MPH students' exposure to real-world practice by mentoring them collectively and individually throughout the year on career development, leadership and more.
With more than two decades of experience in health care and public health, Yantis has a wide range of expertise, including commercial health insurance, provider delivery systems, Medicare, Medicaid, and state and local government.
Yantis is vice president of state government affairs for Highmark, Inc., leading the company's state government affairs team in Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia and parts of New York.
After earning a master's from Lehigh University, Yantis was among a few graduates selected for an internship with the Commonwealth's Department of Public Welfare.
"I joined the department right around the time of welfare reform, so I jumped in with both feet to help Pennsylvania figure out how to change its system," he said.
From there, Yantis joined the Pennsylvania Department of Health Policy office, where he was one of the liaisons between the Department and the Governor's office before taking on a leadership role in the Department's legislative office.
In 2007, Yantis left state government for Blue Cross of Northeast Pennsylvania, where he became Vice President of Government Affairs. He eventually moved to Highmark in 2015 after its merger with Blue Cross.
Joining HPM as PHLIR is a new experience for Yantis, one he says he's looking forward to.
"I'm looking forward to meeting everyone, and I hope to learn as much from the students as they do from me," he said. "I think they'll bring new and unique perspective to our conversations."
-Mike Friend