The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) announced 10 winners of its first-ever RWJF Young Leader Awards. The award recognizes leaders who are ages 40 or under for their exceptional contributions to improving the health of the nation. The awards also signal the winners’ strong potential for future leadership.  UCSF's Dr. Carmen Peralta was among the selected winners.

In recognition of RWJF’s 40th anniversary, Foundation leaders established the RWJF Young Leader Awards to highlight the important contributions that people can make early in their career to improving health and health care for all Americans. The 10 recipients will each receive $40,000.

"As we reflected on our accomplishments over the past 40 years, we also wanted to look to the future," said RWJF President and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD. "During the relatively short period that our foundation has been operational, these impressive men and women were born and raised and started doing amazing things that can potentially improve the health of all Americans. We're proud to acknowledge their early success, and inspired by the potential they have to improve U.S. health and health care."