The Hearst Health Prize: The First Five Years

The Hearst Health Prize is the first national annual award for excellence in population health. The prize was established “to discover, support, and showcase the work of an individual, group, organization, or institution that has successfully implemented a population health program or intervention that has made a measurable difference” in health outcomes. Now, 5 years since the award's inception, this article reflects on how submissions for the prize collectively mirror – and may even predict – changes within the field of population health. It examines how the most successful programs demonstrated genuine, measurable improvements in health outcomes and/or health behaviors. In exploring the work of these outstanding programs, the aim of this article is to help disseminate best practices, advance the mission of the prize, and inspire improvements in population health practices.