New York Academy of
Medicine Gala Honors Dr. Richard N. Merkin of Heritage Provider
Network, Dr. Julie Gerberding of Merck & Co., Inc., and Academy
President Dr. Jo Ivey Boufford New York (June 16, 2017)
The New York Academy of Medicine honored Richard N. Merkin, MD Founder,
President and Chief Executive Officer of Heritage Provider
Network; Julie L. Gerberding, MD, MPH, Executive Vice President
and Chief Patient Officer, Strategic Communications, Global
Public Policy and Population Health at Merck & Co., Inc.; and
Academy President Jo Ivey Boufford, MD, at its annual Gala on
June 13, 2017 at Cipriani 25 Broadway.
The Gala honored visionary leadership in urban health, as well
as outstanding journalism on issues affecting the health of
people living in cities. Nearly 400 guests gathered for the
event, including a number of dignitaries from the health and
social services sector: Dr. Howard Zucker, Commissioner, New
York State Department of Health; Sylvia Pirani, Director, Office
of Public Health Practice, New York State Department of Health;
Anne Marie Theresa Sullivan, Commissioner, New York State Office
of Mental Health; Dr. Sonia Angell, Deputy Commissioner of
Prevention and Primary Care, New York City Department of Health
and Mental Hygiene; Dr. Donna Corrado, Commissioner of the New
York City Department for the Aging; and Stanley Brezenoff,
Acting President and CEO, NYC Health + Hospitals.
The Academy honored Dr. Merkin for his visionary work in
improving population health through physician-led,
patient-centered, integrated healthcare. View the video of
highlights from the event produced by Heritage Provider Network.
“I am deeply honored to receive the visionary global leader
award in healthcare delivery, innovation and philanthropy from
the New York Academy of Medicine,” said Dr. Merkin. “I share and
applaud their deep commitment and vision for healthy cities
through improved healthcare that impacts the lives of millions
of New Yorkers. The work of the Academy and its members leads us
to critical, lifesaving breakthroughs impacting the intersection
of science and technology, never more critically important than
now.”
The Academy honored Dr. Gerberding for her vision and leadership
in establishing Merck for Mothers, which improves the health and
well-being of mothers during pregnancy and childbirth in more
than 30 countries around the world. In its first five years, the
initiative has helped more than 6 million women worldwide with
preventive and family planning services. “Every two minutes, a
woman dies from complications related to pregnancy and
childbirth,” Dr. Gerberding said. “Together with our partners,
we are focused on implementing inventive approaches,
partnerships and solutions to help create a world where no woman
dies giving birth. I’d like to thank the New York Academy of
Medicine for the recognition and opportunity to bring attention
to the issue of maternal mortality”
The Academy honored Dr. Boufford as the 2017 Urban Health
Champion for her extraordinary dedication, vision and leadership
in urban health and global population health, both throughout
her career and in her decade-long tenure as president of the
Academy, which concludes this year. Also announced at the event
was the establishment of the Jo Ivey Boufford East Harlem
Initiative Fund, with support from the Josiah Macy Jr.
Foundation, James Flynn, and George and Barbara Thibault. “I’m
very honored to receive this award and happily accept it on
behalf of the incredibly talented and dedicated staff, our
Fellows and our partners from around the City, State, nation and
the globe,” Dr. Boufford said. “I look forward to working as an
active Fellow of the Academy to continue improving population
health in New York City and cities around the world.” At the
event, the Academy also awarded the 2017 Urban Health Journalism
Prize to Jay Hancock, Senior Correspondent at Kaiser Health
News, for the project “Health Care in Freddie Gray’s
Neighborhood: Baltimore’s Other Divide.”
Three finalists were also recognized for their outstanding work:
Nancy Cambria of the St. Louis PostDispatch, Michael Cooper of
the Springfield, Ohio News-Sun, and Liz Szabo for coverage in
USA Today. The prize is awarded annually for superior media
coverage on topics addressing the distinct challenges and
opportunities for the health of people living in cities. “I
thank the Academy for the work you do and for the award, which
puts a focus on a defining attribute of American health care
that we need to work on to improve,” Hancock said. Cheryl Wills,
Spectrum News NY1 Anchor, acted as Master of Ceremony.
The Gala Chairs were George and Barbara Thibault, James and
Kerianne Flynn, Michael and Lori Milken, and Mark and Ellen
Wagar. The Gala Committee included John and Margo Catsimatidis,
John Damonti, Barbara Green, Marc and Pam Grodman, Stanley
NYAM.org The New York Academy of Medicine 1216 Fifth Avenue |
New York, NY 10029 and Debbie Lefkowitz, Ellen Rautenberg,
Martin and Jean Shafiroff, Edward Shortliffe and Vimla Patel,
and Cheryl Wills.
About The New York Academy of Medicine: The New
York Academy of Medicine advances solutions that promote the
health and well-being of people in cities worldwide. Established
in 1847, The New York Academy of Medicine continues to address
the health challenges facing New York City and the world’s
rapidly growing urban populations. We accomplish this through
our Institute for Urban Health, home of interdisciplinary
research, evaluation, policy, and program initiatives; our world
class historical medical library and its public programming in
history, the humanities and the arts; and our Fellows program, a
network of more than 2,000 experts elected by their peers from
across the professions affecting health. Our current priorities
are healthy aging, disease prevention, and eliminating health
disparities.
For more information, visit
www.nyam.org . About Heritage Provider Network Heritage
Provider Network, Inc. (HPN) is on the cutting edge of the
accountable care model of healthcare delivery: coordinated,
patient-doctor centric, integrated health care systems that
represent the future of health care in the United States. HPN
and its affiliates operate in New York, California and Arizona
providing high quality, cost effective healthcare to over one
million individuals and are dedicated to quality, affordable
health care, and putting patients' wellness first. (
www.heritageprovidernetwork.com )
About Merck for Mothers: For more than a century, Merck,
a leading global biopharmaceutical company known as MSD outside
of the United States and Canada, has been inventing for life,
bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's
most challenging diseases. Through our prescription medicines,
vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products, we work
with customers and operate in more than 140 countries to deliver
innovative health solutions. We also demonstrate our commitment
to increasing access to health care through far-reaching
policies, programs and partnerships. Today, Merck continues to
be at the forefront of research to advance the prevention and
treatment of diseases that threaten people and communities
around the world - including cancer, cardio-metabolic diseases,
emerging animal diseases, Alzheimer's disease and infectious
diseases including HIV and Ebola.
For more information, visit
www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook,
Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn |