Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, a multidisciplinary, integrated professional services firm, today announced the arrival of Manatt Health National Advisor Thomas (Tom) Robertson in Chicago. For nearly 30 years, Robertson has provided strategic guidance to chief executive officers of the country’s leading academic medical centers (AMCs) and health systems, with a particular focus on clinical enterprise strategy, macroeconomic forecasting and short to long-range planning. Tom will enhance Manatt Health’s strategy advisory team, helping clients forecast trends and designing the strategies that guide their futures.
“Manatt’s growing National Advisor program consists of accomplished leaders across health care, government and financial services with firsthand experience addressing complex business, political and operational challenges for companies of all sizes,” said Donna L. Wilson, CEO and Managing Partner of Manatt. “Tom’s background working at the intersection of economics, innovation and strategy makes him a natural fit for our team, and his arrival will immediately benefit our clients nationwide.”
Robertson has established himself as one of the nation’s go-to advisers among AMCs. By providing innovative and strategic guidance grounded in quantitative analysis, he has earned the trust of AMC CEOs, their senior leadership teams and their medical school partners. Tom is known throughout academic medicine for his ability to make complex economic issues more approachable not only for seasoned executives but also for governing boards and external stakeholders. Most recently, his research has been devoted to improving health equity, an area of interest that was instrumental in drawing him to Manatt. Robertson is also a nationally recognized speaker and a widely published author in the field of health economics.
“Medical schools, their teaching hospitals and health systems, and related academic societies play a critical role in shaping the future of our health care system,” said Manatt Health Leader Bill Bernstein. “Tom’s stellar reputation as a trusted adviser in this space makes him a wonderful addition to our well-established academic medicine team—which is overseen by Senior Managing Director Tom Enders—as we continue to help these institutions harness innovation while providing high-quality and affordable care.”
Previously, Robertson served as executive vice president and chief strategy officer for the University Healthsystem Consortium (UHC) and then as executive director of the Vizient Research Institute following the merger between UHC and the Voluntary Hospitals of America. He was also senior vice president of a management consulting firm, where he oversaw Fortune 100 client relationships and advised in the field of employee benefit design.
“It’s been a privilege to have worked side by side with the chief executives and physician leadership of the world’s best academic medical centers, and good fortune to have established lifelong relationships with so many of them,” Robertson said. “I’m thrilled by the opportunity to continue that work—with a particular emphasis on reducing health disparities—with the extraordinary attorneys and consultants at Manatt, most notably Tom Enders, a colleague of mine for nearly 30 years.”
Robertson is the latest addition to Manatt Health’s growing team of health care legal and business consulting professionals, which includes recent arrivals Edo Banach, Julia E. Smith, Nicholas Bath Jr., Shelli Silver, Dr. Troyen A. Brennan and Tracy A. Massel.
Robertson earned his M.B.A. in hospital and health care facilities administration/management from the University of Chicago and his B.S. in biology from the University of Illinois.