Kraft Prize Announcement

Session Focus

The second annual presentation of the Kraft Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Community Health, awarded by the Kraft Center for Community Health at Mass General Brigham.

Why the Center Exists

Kraft described the family’s priority when founding the Kraft Center for Community Health at Mass General Brigham 16 years ago: expanding access to high-quality healthcare for those who need it most.

His framing of the concern was direct. This is the greatest country in the world, and the underserved have to get better healthcare and better access to income. The family is devoted to pushing both.

He closed the presentation by explaining its origin personally. He started the program 15 years ago after losing his wife of 48 years, Myra, because it was something she cared about. Seeing where it has developed gives him a great feeling, because ensuring all parts of the community were served well was in her spirit.

The Prize and This Year’s Field

The Kraft Center launched the prize last year to identify community health innovations making major strides in improving health outcomes, spanning heart disease, cancer, maternal health and addiction. The intent is accelerating the path from innovative ideas to real-life impact.

This year the prize received nearly 250 applications from over 45 states and territories.

The 2026 Recipient

The prize was awarded to Oben Health, an AI-enabled platform working to reduce negative outcomes from heart disease by transforming barbershops and beauty salons into trusted health screening hubs. The organization is led by founder and CEO Peter Jongwe.

Kraft explained the logic in terms of who does not come through hospital doors. For people nervous about entering hospitals, or who for whatever reason do not feel comfortable doing so, the Center has previously sent vans into the community. Reaching people through barbershops and beauty salons makes good healthcare available to everyone.

The model addresses persistent access gaps while creating a scalable approach adoptable across populations, settings and health conditions.

Valerie Dao, head of strategy and operations at Oben Health, accepted on the organization’s behalf.

A Note to the Investors in the Room

Kraft underscored the importance of investing in community health to an audience heavy with venture and innovation leaders. One great idea can improve thousands of lives, and his hope is that the prize acts as a catalyst and puts a spotlight on the community’s most promising ideas.

He also credited leadership specifically, noting that winning at anything requires great people and great leaders, whether a quarterback, a coach or a medical leader, and that the family believes it has that in Elsie Tavares running the program.

Attendees were directed to the Kraft Center panel following the break, High-Tech, High-Touch, No Walls: Democratizing Care and Trust in the Community, where Oben Health would appear.

Key Takeaways

1. Nearly 250 applications came from over 45 states and territories in the prize’s second year.

2. The 2026 recipient converts barbershops and beauty salons into AI-enabled heart disease screening hubs.

3. The model targets people who avoid hospital settings, extending an earlier mobile van approach.

4. Scalability across populations, settings and conditions was central to the selection.

5. The Center originated 15 years ago following the death of Myra Kraft, reflecting her commitment to community service.