Merck announced as the winner of the Population Health Alliance Culture of Health and Wellbeing Award sponsored by HealthNEXT. This award focuses on employers who excel in building cultures of health, safety, and wellbeing and who have leading programs focused on employee population health management.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- At the Population Health Alliance (PHA) Annual Meeting-Innovation and Adoption Summit in Washington D.C., the Population Health Alliance (PHA) announced Merck as the winner of the Culture of Health and Wellbeing award sponsored by HealthNEXT. This award focuses on employers who excel in building cultures of health, safety, and wellbeing and who have leading programs focused on employee population health management. The awards are open to PHA Member Companies.

Merck has integrated health and wellbeing into all areas of the company with 75,000 employees in 75 countries, including 31,000 in the U.S., including Puerto Rico. Through their efforts, including their benefit and wellbeing strategies, they have kept the company's health care cost trend below overall healthcare inflation trends, and they diligently work on programs that focus on four wellbeing pillars: physical, mental, social, and financial. Each year, Merck produces a health and wellbeing annual report where they highlight their initiatives and employee programs, such as disease prevention, managing chronic conditions, reducing mental health stigma, improving financial confidence, and fostering social connection and wellbeing.

Through these initiatives and a focus on holistic wellbeing, the team at Merck helps employees thrive as health and engagement are critical to fulfilling their purpose to save and improve lives globally.

"We are thrilled and honored to receive the PHA Culture of Health and Wellbeing Award. We know that in order to care for the patients and customers we serve, we have to protect the well-being of our people and their families. That's why we continue to invest in the health and well-being of our people, cultivating a supportive culture and encouraging our colleagues to be the best they can be every day," said Susanna Mensah, MBA, MPH, RD, Associate Director of U.S. Benefits and Wellbeing, Merck

HealthNEXT is dedicated to transforming workplaces, nationally & globally, into best-in-class cultures of health, safety, and wellbeing. With an evidence-driven approach, HealthNEXT cultivates thriving cultures of health and wellbeing that not only enhance employee health and performance, deliver savings on healthcare cost trends, but also create a ripple effect that benefits entire communities.

HealthNEXT's program delivers measurable value creation, ROI and accelerates exceptional organizational performance. The platform combines industry-leading employer assessments with implementation of a tailored strategic roadmap, crafted and guided by expert Chief Medical Officers.

"PHA is fortunate to have HealthNext as a longstanding committed PHA member and leader in the field of advancing workplace health and wellbeing. The entire population health improvement community benefits when we come together on behalf of employees, members and patients to improve outcomes and lives," said Rose Maljanian Population Health Alliance, Chairman of the Board and Chair Emeritus and Chairman & CEO HealthCAWS. "Merck is a longstanding and highly valued member of the Population Health Alliance, offering perspectives ranging from life-saving treatments to creating a great place to work. We are so pleased to honor Merck as the recipient of the PHA Culture of Health and Wellbeing 2025 Award supported by HealthNext," she added.

"As HealthNEXT continues to advance workplace cultures of health, safety and wellbeing nationally and globally, we're proud to support PHA in recognizing companies leading the way in improving workforce performance," said Ivor Kiwi, Vice President of Operations, HealthNEXT. "It's so important to recognize employers focused on workforce health and wellbeing who realize the benefits of improved organizational performance, reduced employee turnover and dramatically improved health care cost trends."

About Population Health Alliance

Population Health Alliance (PHA) is the industry's only multi-stakeholder professional and trade association solely focused on population health management, representing stakeholders (e.g., health systems, health plans, employer solutions, academia, biopharma and technology companies) from across the health care ecosystem that seek to improve health outcomes optimize the consumer and provider experience and drive affordability. Learn more at https://populationhealthalliance.org

Companies interested in joining PHA may join here or email staff@populationhealthalliance.org

About HealthNEXT

HealthNEXT guides organizations to advance their culture of health and wellbeing by combining a data-driven assessment and a customized strategic roadmap with world-class guidance from Chief Medical and Health Officers that have successfully transformed global organizations. The approach ensures measurable results, a strong return on investment, and a clear path forward. Learn more at www.HealthNEXT.com

Media Contact

Rose Maljanian, Population Health Alliance, 1 8605731824, rmaljanian@healthcaws.com, https://populationhealthalliance.org

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SOURCE Population Health Alliance