This year's We Work for Health Champion Awards honors many individuals that have done tremendous work in the health care industry this year, especially with COVID-19 presenting a new and unique situation.
Many of the awards this year go to front-line workers and those that have been essential to the fight against the coronavirus, according to a press release from PhRMA.
CEO of Bristol Myers Squibb, Dr. Giovanni Caforio, congratulated two of his colleagues after being awarded the title of a champion this year: Jeff Perdue and Rondu Vincent.
"Perdue is our senior regional director and accounts manager for Bristol Myers Squibb’s cell therapy program, which is offering new hope to cancer patients," Caforio wrote in the press release. "He is a passionate advocate for patients and frequently represents Bristol Myers Squibb at meetings and events with elected officials, ensuring that policymakers understand what we do and why it matters."
Vincent's role as the director of global supplier diversity also has played a huge role at Bristol Myers Squibb.
"During his time with Bristol Myers Squibb, Vincent has forged partnerships with more than 25 international and national advocacy groups for small and diverse businesses," Caforio wrote in the press release. "In 2019, he was recognized by the Diversity Alliance for Science as Program Manager of the Year. This year, Vincent has been an instrumental figure in our company’s COVID-19’s philanthropic response, including working to secure over $1 million in personal protective equipment (PPEs) for front-line healthcare workers and supporting small and diverse suppliers impacted by the pandemic."
Other health care workers awarded the title of champion include Chris Otto and Janelle Sabo, with Eli LIlly and Company, and Brendan Monahan, with the Novartis Emergency Management team.
Otto and Sabo have helped to develop the largest coronavirus reference lab in Indiana and the largest drive-thru testing site.
"Because of their work, the company helped the state almost immediately ramp up its testing capacity from 300 tests per day to 5,000 tests per day. In addition, they constructed a lab design strategy and a supply chain management program that increased Indiana’s capacity to almost 30,000 tests per day," Caforio wrote in the press release.
Monahan led his company's coronavirus response team, which established a medical triage and procured and delivered face coverings and other PPE to on-site programs.
"These individuals are just a sampling of the 2020 We Work for Health Champions, who themselves are just a small portion of the hundreds of thousands of the over 800,000 employees who are a part of the biopharmaceutical industry," Caforio wrote in the press release. "As the year rolls on, our country will continue to rely on the dedication of today’s 14 awardees and their colleagues to beat this pandemic."
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