Leading Health Care Executive, George Barrett, To Receive Maimonides Award

NEW YORK — George Barrett, chairman and chief executive officer of Cardinal Health, a Fortune 17 health care services company, will be honored with the Maimonides Award by American Friends of The Hebrew University (AFHU) on September 14, 2010 at The Pierre Hotel in New York City.  The evening’s featured speaker will be the Honorable Senator Bill Frist, a nationally recognized surgeon and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader.  Proceeds from the reception will support International Master in Public Health Fellows and the Faculty of Medicine at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The Maimonides Award is conferred by AFHU to honor philanthropic commitment to pioneering medical research conducted at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Maimonides Award recipients are distinguished by their humanitarian, communal leadership and work in support of research breakthroughs that strengthen Israel and benefit mankind.  “George’s efforts have been a shining example of how to improve patient care, efficiency and safety,” said Tribute Committee Chairman and Chairman of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Dr. Phillip Frost, MD.  “His commitment to providing excellent health services, at each layer of care, from the local pharmacy to the emergency room, is inspiring and makes him more than deserving of a prestigious award of this nature.”

This elite honor is named in memory of Moses Maimonides (1135-1204), the legendary physician and philosopher whose insight has guided Jewish thought for eight centuries, and whose wisdom has been studied throughout the generations.  “George’s knowledge of the medical field and foresight in how to thoughtfully move health care forward bring to mind the great Maimonides.  It is an honor to give George this award,” said Martin E. Karlinsky, president of AFHU.

In addition to his leadership at Cardinal Health, Mr. Barrett serves on the board of directors of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers, board of visitors at the Owen School of Business at Vanderbilt University and Project Restore at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.  He is a member of the board of trustees of the Healthcare Leadership Council and a past chairman of the board of directors of the Generic Pharmaceutical Industry Association (GPhA).  He is also a member of The Business Council, Business Roundtable, Ohio Business Roundtable and The Columbus Partnership.

The evening’s keynote speaker, Senator Bill Frist, is a leading heart and lung transplant surgeon and was formerly the U.S. Senate Majority Leader.  Currently a professor of business and medicine at Vanderbilt University, he is uniquely qualified to discuss the challenges and solutions in healthcare policy.  Senator Frist is consistently recognized among the most influential leaders in American healthcare and is one of only two individuals to rank in the top ten of each of the five inaugural Modern Healthcare Magazine annual surveys of the most powerful people in healthcare in the United States.

The Maimonides Award Reception, which is being co-chaired by Marc N. Casper, President and CEO of Thermo Fisher Scientific, Harvey M. Krueger, Vice Chairman of Barclays Capital, Lee H. Perlman, President of GNYHA Ventures, Inc., Marvin Samson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Qualitest Pharmaceuticals, Abigail and Leslie Wexner, and Shlomo Yanai, President and Chief Executive Officer of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. will begin at 6:30 p.m.  A dinner and awards presentation will follow at 7:30 p.m.  Dietary laws observed.  For more information, contact Naomi Smook, Senior Development Executive, Greater New York Region, AFHU, at 212-607-8517, or nsmook@afhu.org.

Located at The Hebrew University’s top-ranked Faculty of Medicine, the Braun School of Public Health educates health professionals from throughout Israel and internationally. A humanitarian as well as an educational initiative, the IMPH curriculum creates health care leaders equipped to combat many types of public health challenges. IMPH graduates also partner with The Hebrew University in order to establish public health and public health training programs in their own countries, creating environments dedicated to long-term and widespread human health.