Women@Work

Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, President Emerita and former CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, talks with Laura Zarrow about the role of business in health equity and how local organizations are addressing the environmental, social, economic, and structural challenges that may impact residents’ health -- with a call for other companies to follow suit. -- Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA, is the president emerita and former CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), a position she held for nearly 15 years. She was named the RWJF University Penn Integrates Knowledge (PIK) Professor of Population Health and Health Equity at the University of Pennsylvania, with appointments in the Perelman School of Medicine, the School of Nursing and the Wharton School, effective January 1, 2018. During her tenure at RWJF, Dr. Lavizzo-Mourey spearheaded bold health initiatives such as creating healthier, more equitable communities; strengthening the integration of health systems and services; and ensuring every child in the United States has the opportunity to grow up at a healthy weight. This work culminated in the Foundation’s vision of building a Culture of Health, enabling everyone in America to live longer, healthier lives. A specialist in geriatrics, Dr. Lavizzo-Mourey came to the Foundation from the University of Pennsylvania, where she served as the Sylvan Eisman Professor of Medicine and Health Care Systems. She also directed Penn’s Institute on Aging and was chief of geriatric medicine at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine. She worked as deputy administrator for the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research under President George H.W. Bush’s administration and continued to direct policy for the subsequent administration, serving as Quality of Care chair for President Bill Clinton’s panels on health care. She has served on numerous federal advisory committees and she was appointed by President Barack Obama to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (2010- 2016). She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and The American Philosophical Society. She currently serves on the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents, as well as on several other boards of directors. Dr. Lavizzo-Mourey is the recipient of numerous awards, including honorary doctorates from Colby College and Brown University. Forbes has included her on the list of the most important women in the world eight times, and as one of Modern Healthcare’s 100 most influential people in health care eleven times. Dr. Lavizzo-Mourey earned her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and her MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. -- Aired on June 13, 2018