Hearst Health Prize 2024 FAQ

The purpose of the Hearst Health Prize is to proliferate best practices to help promote promising new ideas in the field that will help to improve health outcomes. The Hearst Health Prize discovers and showcases successfully implemented programs that have made a measurable difference in human health.

The winner of the Hearst Health Prize will be awarded $100,000 by Hearst Health. Up to two finalists will receive $25,000 each.

Yes. The previous five years of the Hearst Health Prize focused on the topic of population health, but now the topic focus is data science. Entries to the Hearst Health Prize should describe a data science solution that has been applied to healthcare and demonstrated a measurable improvement in human health.

For the Hearst Health Prize, “data science” broadly refers to systems, strategies, technologies, or analytics applied to healthcare-related data. It might, for example, employ artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) to data to generate an actionable insight. Entries to the Hearst Health Prize must describe the dataset and the data science approach applied to the dataset.

Eligible applications will be reviewed and scored by UCLA reviewers, including select members of the faculty of the UCLA Center for SMART Health as well as postdoctoral fellows and domain experts from UCLA’s Schools of Medicine, Engineering, and Public Health. Each eligible entry will be scored by two UCLA reviewers. The highest scoring entries will advance to be scored by the panel of Judges. Among the entries scored by the Judges, the three with the highest scores will be the finalists. The highest scoring entry will be the winner. The UCLA reviewers and the Judges use the same evaluation criteria to give points to each entry they review.

2024 Hearst Health Prize Evaluation Criteria and Weight

• Health impact or outcome: 25%
• Data science approach: 20%
• Operational and financial sustainability: 20%
• Scalability and generalizability: 15%
• Mitigation of bias: 10%
• Significance of the problem and solution: 10%

Health impact or outcome – 25 points. The health impact or outcomes achieved with your data science solution should be demonstrated by measurable improvement (improvement in health outcomes or health behaviors for the target population that is measurable with quantitative and/or qualitative data that show a change, impact or result). The data should capture or illustrate measurable improvement or change in health of the defined population as a result of the intervention; could also include changes in: policy; individual behavior, knowledge or attitudes; institutional practices or processes; and reduction or elimination of barriers to care. The data science project must have been applied to a population based in the 50 United States or District of Columbia. The data demonstrating the positive health impact for the data science project must be from a U.S.-based population.

Data science approach – 20 points. Describe the technical methods employed, how well these methods perform, usability of the methods, elegance and simplicity of the approach.

Operational and financial sustainability – 20 points. The operational and financial sustainability of your data science solution should be demonstrated by continuous integration of the solution with the delivery of care, organizational operations, and decision making; and demonstrate its financial viability independent of grant funding or external financial support. Examples could include process or workflow integration, clinician acceptance, feedback loops for continuous improvement and optimization.

Scalability and generalizability – 15 points. Describe indicators or measures that document the ability of the program or method to be adapted or “scaled up” for use by a larger group or population or by similar populations in other geographic settings or communities.

Mitigation of bias – 10 points. Describe how the method or program prevents or overcomes biases or healthcare inequities in care delivery for people who are vulnerable to marginalization.

Significance of the problem and solution – 10 points. Describe the scope or severity of the problem the method addresses. Describe the comparative scarcity, cost, or complexity to alternative solutions to the problem.

Note that the Hearst Health Prize is not a grant program: the only entries that will be considered are implemented programs with supporting data that show a positive impact or result.

Eligible entrants include individuals or organizations operating in the US, with a data science solution that has been applied to a US-based population. Refer to the www.hearsthealth.smapply.io. Go to the website, register to create an account and log in, then complete the application form, review it, and submit it. You will be able to save your progress on you application and return to it to later; however, once the application has been submitted, you will not be able to edit it. Entries sent via email or any other method will not be accepted or considered.

The 2023 Hearst Health Prize is governed by its Official Rules, which should be reviewed carefully prior to submitting an entry.

The winner will be announced on or before June 30, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

All applicants to the 2024 Hearst Health Prize will be notified by April 1, 2024 of their status as a finalist or not a finalist.

An individual or organization may submit more than one entry so long as they are for different data science projects. No substantially similar entries will be accepted. Only one entry — the highest scoring — from any organization or individual will be eligible to advance to the final round of reviews by the panel of Judges.

The intellectual property (IP) ownership of the data science program or project described in a submission remains with the IP owner. Entries to the Hearst Health Prize should only be made by or as permitted by the IP owner. No trade secrets, confidential information, PHI, or other sensitive information should be submitted. See theOfficial Rules for more information.

Summary data and/or supporting data that supports and illustrates a data science program’s impact can be included as an Exhibit in application. NO SENSITIVE INFORMATION SHOULD BE INCLUDED, whether PHI, PII, or identifying data.

Inquiries or recommendations for judges should be sent to info@hearsthealth.hearst.com .

For any additional questions, contact info@hearsthealth.hearst.com. Note that no feedback or input will be provided on any application.