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. In March 2017, she was named the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation PIK Professor of Health Policy and Health Equity at the University of Pennsylvania, effective January 1, 2018.
During her tenure at RWJF, Risa 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, Risa 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. In previous years, she worked on the White House Health Care Reform Task Force and served on numerous federal advisory committees.
Risa earned her medical degree from Harvard Medical School, and holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, The American Philosophical Society, and a former member the President’s Council for Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. She currently serves on the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents and several other boards of directors. She and her husband, Robert Lavizzo-Mourey, Ph.D., have two adult children and two grandchildren.
