Global Health Leaders Recognized at Project HOPE Annual Gala
Project HOPE announced the 2013 recipients of the Project HOPE Global Health Awards. The awards recognize outstanding accomplishments and life-changing impact in health worldwide.
Leading Global Health Organization Presents Awards to Recognize Excellence in Leadership, Service, and Impact
New York, NY, June 12, 2013
2013 Award Recipients Honored for Work in Health Education, Funding Research for
Chronic Diseases, and Drug Treatment Development
Project HOPE, a global health education and humanitarian assistance organization, today announced the 2013 recipients of the Project HOPE Global Health Awards. The awards, which recognize outstanding accomplishments and life-changing impact in health worldwide, were presented at the organization’s annual gala on June 11 at The Pierre Hotel in New York City. This year’s gala highlighted Project HOPE’s non-communicable disease work, with a special focus on diabetes education, prevention and treatment.
The annual Project HOPE Global Health Awards are presented to individuals and organizations whose achievements and daily contributions support the core mission of Project HOPE: to make long-term sustainable health care available in communities around the world, especially those most in need.
This year’s honorees include:
- The Project HOPE Global Health Leadership Award – Vincent A. Forlenza, Chairman, CEO and President of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)
- Project HOPE Global Health Partner Award – Susan M. Briggs, MD, MPH, FACS, General and Trauma Surgeon at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School
- The Project HOPE Global Health Impact Award – The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)
“Meeting the enormous health needs in the developing world is often not glamorous work and it is often anonymous. But at Project HOPE we understand how important this work is and know it is needed now more than ever. We could not address the needs of so many without the support and dedication of people like Vincent and Susan and an organization like the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, and, for this, we are most grateful,” said Dr. John P. Howe III, M. D., President and CEO of Project HOPE.
About the 2013 Project HOPE Global Health Awards Recipients
The Leadership Award recognizes an individual who has championed health issues globally. Vince Forlenza is Chairman, CEO and President of BD, a global medical technology company focused on improving drug delivery, enhancing the diagnosis of infectious diseases and cancers, and advancing research, discovery and production of new drugs and vaccines. His and BD’s support for Project HOPE’s global health initiatives and disaster relief work has strengthened underserved communities and health systems across the developing world.
In addition to his remarkable career, Mr. Forlenza is active in various professional and community associations. He serves as chairman of AdvaMedDx, a division of the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), which focuses solely on in-vitro diagnostic technologies, and he serves on the AdvaMed Board. He is also chairman of The Valley Hospital Board of Trustees, a member of the Advisory Board for the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Lehigh University, and a member of the Board of Trustees at Lehigh.
“I am incredibly honored to be recognized by an organization that has had such a deep impact around the world and improved the lives of so many people. There is still much work to be done though, and I believe organizations like Project HOPE are more crucial than ever to help those most in need improve health systems and build more prosperous futures,” said Mr. Forlenza.
Dr. Susan Briggs was presented with the Partner Award in recognition of her time and expertise contributed to benefit the health of others. As the General and Trauma Surgeon at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Briggs has dedicated her life to serving others. From her help establishing a burn clinic in the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War to the expertise she provided following the earthquake in Haiti, Dr. Briggs’ commitment to helping individuals around the globe has been unwavering. In 1999, Dr. Briggs established the International Medical Surgical Response Team (IMSuRT), an emergency response team sponsored by MGH, and now serves as the Supervising Medical Officer.
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, a leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, received the Impact Award for its significant contributions to the funding of T1D research. As the largest charitable supporter of T1D research, the JDRF is currently sponsoring $530 million in scientific research in 17 countries and has awarded more than $1.7 billion to diabetes research since its founding in 1970. Over the past four decades, the JDRF has expanded the critical scientific understanding of T1D and significantly improved the care of people with the disease.
About Project HOPE
Founded in 1958, Project HOPE (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere) is dedicated to providing lasting solutions to health crises, with the mission of helping people to help themselves. Identifiable to many by the SS HOPE, the world’s first peacetime hospital ship, Project HOPE now conducts land-based medical training and health education programs in 35 countries across five continents.