The Kraft Center at the 2026 World Medical Innovation Forum

September 29, 2026

September 23, The Kraft Center joined the Mass General Brigham World Medical Innovation Forum for the second year with a prize presentation and a panel exploring how innovation and technology can help bring care outside the walls of hospitals and health centers.

Robert Kraft, founder and CEO of The Kraft Group, presented the 2026 Kraft Prize for Excellence & Innovation in Community Health 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. Oben’s model addresses persistent gaps in access while creating a scalable approach that can be adapted across populations, settings, and health conditions. Chief of Strategy and Development, Valerie Dao, was on hand to accept the award. Watch a video of the prize presentation below:

Prize Presentation by Robert Kraft

Following the prize presentation, Kraft Center executive director, Dr. Elsie Taveras, then moderated a conversation on how pioneering health leaders are dismantling traditional clinical boundaries to improve community health outcomes.  Panelists included Valerie Dao, Chief of Strategy and Development, Oben Health; Allison Bryant Mantha, MD MPH, Associate Chief Health Equity Officer, Mass General Brigham; Rian Hasson, MD MPH, Director, Office for Engagement and Enrichment, Mass General Brigham; Priya Sarin Gupta, MD MPH, Senior Medical Director of Clinical Community Programs, Mass General Brigham. Watch a video of the full panel below:

Panel: High-Tech, High-Touch, No Walls: Democratizing Care and Trust in the Community

Thank you to these incredible panelists and to all who tuned into the discussions!

Below, please find the press release and other media covering the Kraft Prize and World Medical Innovation Forum 2026.

For more information on the Kraft Prize, visit here