Linda Elam’s extensive health care management and managed care experience paired with Blair Cantfil’s complex regulatory and policy capabilities strengthen firm’s integrated offerings
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, a multidisciplinary, integrated professional services firm, announced today that Managing Director Linda Elam and Partner Blair M. Cantfil are joining its Manatt Health Group in Washington, D.C. Elam and Cantfil’s arrival underscores Manatt’s continued commitment to expanding its national legal and consulting model with top talent across the firm.
“As our clients continue to navigate the public health crisis, they are increasingly looking for integrated business and legal counsel to help them create and implement innovative strategies to thrive in today’s new economy,” said Donna L. Wilson, Manatt’s CEO and Managing Partner. “This is particularly true in the health care sector, and our hybridized Manatt Health team is at the center of advising clients on the industry’s transformation. We’re thrilled to welcome Linda and Blair as we expand to meet the growing needs of our clients.”
Elam is a former Medicaid director—most recently leading a managed care organization servicing the Washington, D.C. Medicaid population—and is also a public health executive leader with a sophisticated knowledge of policies and programs that finance and deliver health care services to vulnerable populations and that aim to improve population health. Her background has given her a deep understanding of the key health care imperatives needed to advance health equity and improve drivers of health. Elam has developed and led diverse teams to implement important policy at both the state and federal levels, and has experience working across philanthropic, academic and private sectors. She received her Ph.D. in Health Policy and Management from the Johns Hopkins University, her M.P.H. in Health Policy and Administration from the University of California at Berkeley, and her B.S. in Zoology with honors from Howard University.
A trusted regulatory advisor, Cantfil guides clients through the complexities of emerging health care policy, regulatory and enforcement matters. She also advises on the application of federal fraud and abuse laws in the pharmaceutical and hospital sectors, and brings significant experience in oncology and Medicare provider reimbursement issues. With work spanning both Congress and federal agencies, Cantfil has advocated client issues before all congressional committees with jurisdiction over health care. She earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, cum laude, and her M.P.A. from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.
“The addition of Linda and Blair complements our diverse Manatt Health team of over 160 professionals, who advise health care stakeholders—ranging from payers and providers to states and foundations—that are seeking to transform the nation’s health care system,” said Bill Bernstein, leader of Manatt Health. “Their respective accomplishments and contributions to areas ranging from oncology to social determinants of health initiatives strengthen the team’s already impressive offerings and allow us to continue serving the unique needs of our clients nationwide.”
“I am excited to contribute to Manatt’s mission of helping clients innovate the country’s health care system and look forward to working closely with some of the most forward-thinking professionals across the sector,” said Elam.
“I have long admired Manatt’s integrated model, which melds traditional legal and strategic business offerings to provide truly holistic support to clients who are shaping the future of health care,” added Cantfil.
Joining Manatt’s national health care group, the arrivals are the latest example of the firm’s continued legal and consulting growth. Following closely on the heels of president emeritus of the Association of American Medical Colleges Dr. Darrell G. Kirch and seasoned health care regulatory attorney Brian D. Bewley, Elam and Cantfil join other recent Manatt Health legal and consulting hires, including corporate partner Paul A. Carr-Rollitt, former CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System Ralph W. Muller, digital health expert Dr. Vivian E. de Ruijter and litigation partner Charles E. Weir. Manatt has also been strategically expanding its hybridized offerings across the firm more broadly, as seen with the recent additions of prominent venture capital and emerging companies partners Thomas W. Michael and Rustin M. Brown, tech consultants Jen Millard and Kalon Gutierrez, and new media partner Farnaz M. Alemi.