HBA’s 2018 Woman of the Year event

Dr. Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH, was honored as the 2018 Woman of the Year (WOTY) by the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association. The HBA’s 29th WOTY event was held at the New York Hilton Midtown on Thursday, May 3rd. About 2,500 leaders from throughout the healthcare industry were in attendance. The event additionally recognized the HBA Honorable Mentor, STAR and nearly 100 Rising Stars and Luminaries from across the healthcare space.

The HBA WOTY award honors a senior executive female whose accomplishments have led to important contributions to the healthcare industry. Dr. Gerberding serves as executive VP for strategic communications, global public policy and population health and chief patient officer of Merck & Co. Inc.

Dr. Gerberding has been at the forefront of some of the world’s most pressing population health issues. Her leadership in modernizing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) earned her recognition as one of Time magazine’s 2004 “100 Most Influential People in the World.” During her career at Merck — in roles as president of Merck Vaccines, and her current position as chief patient officer and executive VP — she has mentored dozens of women and championed the development of the Merck Women’s Employee Business Resource Group (EBRG) strategy and execution.

Dr. Gerberding joined Merck during January 2010 as president of Merck Vaccines and helped make the company’s vaccines increasingly more available and affordable to people in emerging markets and some of the most resource-limited countries in the world. Dr. Gerberding additionally helped lead the successful launch in India of the MSD Wellcome Trust Hilleman Laboratories, a not-for-profit joint venture for vaccine development. In 1998, she left her tenured academic faculty appointment at the University of California, San Francisco, to lead the CDC Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion and then served as CDC Director from 2002 to 2009.

Dr. Gerberding serves on the boards of Cerner Corporation, CWRU, MSD Wellcome Trust Hilleman Laboratories and the BIO Executive Committee. She has received more than 50 awards and honors, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Distinguished Service Award for her leadership in responses to anthrax bioterrorism and the September 11, 2001 attacks. Dr. Gerberding was named to Forbes Magazine’s 100 Most Powerful Women in the World in 2005 through 2008.

 

A leading mentor and a shining star

Nick Colucci, chairman and CEO of Publicis Health, was the recipient of the 2018 Honorable Mentor award. Terri Pascarelli, CEO of AIT Bioscience, wad recognized with the Strategic Transformation Achievement Recognition (STAR) award.

Established in 2001, the Honorable Mentor award recognizes one individual who demonstrates long-term support for the advancement of women in the healthcare industry, has a personal dedication to developing, mentoring and promoting women in the industry, and who has been supportive of the HBA’s goals. Colucci has successfully advanced gender parity across Publicis Health. He is recognized as a supportive mentor for women and is frequently cited as an outspoken advocate for workplace inclusion sharing his expertise with industry audiences as well and trade and business media.

For the past 18 years, the HBA has honored a volunteer who stands apart as a truly exemplary role model and who has shown a long-term commitment to furthering the HBA’s strategic goals with the STAR award. During her many years of volunteering at the most senior levels of HBA leadership, Pascarelli effectively applied her strategic perspective and business savvy to HBA’s growth and helped set the course and lay the foundation for the organization currently in place.

“As passionate advocates of gender parity in the workplace, Julie, Nick and Terri have long advocated for the development and advancement of women in the work environment,” says Laurie P. Cooke, HBA CEO. “Their commitment and the sustained impact they have had is a timely and encouraging reminder — that there are many leaders who create and foster healthy and positive corporate cultures. The HBA is proud to acknowledge each of them and their contributions to advancing gender parity.”

 

Guiding light

The HBA Luminary award was launched during 2014 as part of the HBA’s 25th anniversary of the Woman of the Year. For 2018, the HBA had recognized 33 senior women — identified by their corporate partner companies — who serve as a role model in their company, actively mentor and sponsor others, help advance other women’s careers, and exhibit dedication to the healthcare industry. Each of the luminary leaders have more than 20 years of professional industry experience. The 2018 HBA luminaries are:

Lisa Bakazias, VP, global operations, manufacturing strategy
West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.

Lisa Benna, SVP, HR
GlaxoSmithKline

Heidi Casaletto, VP, business fields-transfusion medicine, business fields marketing
Ortho Clinical Diagnostics

Maggie A. Daniels, national sales director, corporate accounts
Roche Diagnostics

Kathy Delaney, global chief creative officer
Publicis Health

Binodh DeSilva, PhD, VP
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company

Elsie DiBella, VP, biologics process and CMC development
Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Edith Eby, VP
Pfizer Inc.

Rachel Frizberg, commercial director region Europe
Roche (F. Hoffmann – La Roche Ltd)

Coleen Glessner, SVP and chief quality officer
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Cecile Guegan, VP finance global oncology and medicine development
Pfizer Inc.

Jennifer Jackson, PhD, SVP, global regulatory affairs and quality assurance
Tesaro, Inc.

Petra Jantzer, managing director
Accenture

Tracey Keele, partner, risk consulting
KPMG LLP

Andrea Kretzmann, strategy
Fingerpaint Marketing, Inc.

Lauren Lewis, EVP, managing director
McCann Torre Lazur

Anila Lingamneni, VP, renal R&D, Baxter healthcare
Baxter International Inc.

Kellie Malloy, EVP
Syneos Health

Nahrin Marino, deputy general counsel legal regulatory
Astellas Pharma US, Inc.

Jymme McQuillan, executive director, operations
Quest Diagnostics

Nikkia Miller-Blakes, Johnson & Johnson technology, VP – enterprise and portfolio
Johnson & Johnson

Jan Price, director, women’s healthcare and neurology medical science liaison teams
Bayer

Rosemary Rebuli, global head of trial management
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation

Dawn Rogers, SVP, human resources
Pfizer Inc.

Robin Shapiro, global president
TBWA\WorldHealth

Meg Smith, VP, clinical operations, quality and regulatory compliance
Stryker Corporation

Cecilia Soriano, VP/GM diabetes care
BD

Ponni Subbiah, chief medical officer
Indivior PLC

Lisa Talbot, managing director, healthcare strategy and business development
Marina Maher Communications LLC

Onelia Ann Vera, legal group VP, hematology
Shire

Erica Yahr, EVP, executive strategy director
McCann Health NY

Sherri Zapinski, VP, global procurement
Alcon, a Novartis Company

Litao Zhang, PhD, VP, leads discovery and optimization
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company

 

Bright future

HBA Rising Stars are professionals in various sectors of the healthcare field, including pharma, biotech, advertising, PR, medical education and market research. Nominated by the HBA’s corporate partners, the Rising Stars represent various career stages and disciplines, and have shown noteworthy achievements and proven attention to advancing their careers. The following women were recognized as HBA Rising Stars at the 2018 WOTY event:

Neeta Amin, executive director, clinical lead/clinical science head
Pfizer Inc.

Jennifer Anderson, director, operations
Performance Health

Sonal Bhatia, VP, NA regional medical affairs lead, rare diseases
Pfizer Inc.

Stephanie Bostaph Martin, VP
Ketchum

Vanessa Breschard, executive creative director
Health & Wellness Partners, LLC

Anne Brooks, senior director, oncology marketing
Teva Pharmaceuticals

Jennifer Broxmeyer, director of compliance and associate general counsel
athenahealth

Renata Campos, area head LATAM and president Brazil
Takeda Pharma LTDA

Jessica Coffey, director, national markets account management
Cardinal Health

Courtney Cohen, associate creative director
Calcium USA

Kristi Cooper, director, learning and development
Novo Nordisk

Tracey Cooper, digital engagement strategist
Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide

Dana Dodzik, senior director, corporate communications
Lundbeck

Tanesha Duncan, executive director, technical commercialization
Celgene Corporation

Sophie Dutilloy, DVP Abbott diabetes care, EMEAP
Abbott

Susan Farkas, commercial business director
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP

Margaret Faul, executive director process development
Amgen Inc.

Jovelle Fernandez, VP, Japan medical officer and head, Japan medical affairs
Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Joy Fitzgerald, chief diversity officer
Eli Lilly and Company

Colleen Flesher, area VP sales
Johnson & Johnson

Amy France, VP, finance
Syneos Health

Betsy George, director, medical affairs, operations
Ferring Pharmaceuticals

Inna Glozman, senior director, commercial analytics
Eisai Inc.

Renee Hall, executive director, head of commercial excellence
Boehringer Ingelheim

Priti Hegde, director
Genentech, Inc.

Jessica Hill, senior account manager
Bulletin Healthcare

Emma L. Howe, marketing director, upper respiratory, health BU, RB US
RB

Evelyn Y. Hu, executive director, technical operations controller
Purdue Pharma L.P.

Sangita Iyer, director, FP&A
Horizon Pharma plc

Mary James, senior director, research and analytics
W2O Group

Kendra Johnson, senior project manager
Sanofi

Nicole Leiter, corporate operations VP
Walgreens Boots Alliance

Sonia Luaces, partner
PwC

Kelly MacDonald, director, commercial finance and technical accounting
Ironwood Pharmaceuticals

Christina Mack, Sr. director of epidemiology
IQVIA

Stephanie Magonagle, VP, strategic planning director
McCann Echo

Haita Makanji, PharmD, RPh, VP clinical strategy and programs
Magellan Rx Management

Marilyn Marsh, national sales director
Publicis Health Solutions

Tara Mautone, Sr. director, chief of staff, president
Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.

Kimberly Moran, head, neurology healthcare strategy
UCB, Inc.

Cari Nicholson, PMP, SPHR, executive director, strategic account management
VMS BioMarketing

Angela Partisano, PharmD, MS, RPh, CMPP, global medical director, hATTR Amyloidosis
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

Melinda Pautsch, director, strategic accounts and medical device/diagnostic sales
Medidata Solutions

Kathryn C. Payne, SVP, corporate affairs
AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Julia Pike, VP, intellectual property
Sandoz

Devayani Pophali, senior director, field operations
Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals

Shelley Rahe, SVP, client service director
CDM New York

Erin Rathbone, senior manager for client services
Inovalon

Ana Dolores Roman, PEH country manager, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador
Pfizer Inc.

Kunbi Rudnick, director, global marketing
Merck & Co., Inc.

Chaka Serrant, senior business analyst
Knowledgent

Sandra Sexton, director, consumer marketing
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc

Sonia Shah, senior medical director
The Scienomics Group, An Omnicom Company

Vanita Sharma, Sr. director, patient advocacy and public policy
Strongbridge Biopharma plc

Kristy Shipulski, Sr. director, supply chain management
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated

Maureen Silverman, director, clinical operations
Shionogi Inc.

Emily Smith, VP, associate creative director
Concentric Health Experience

Janet Smith, director, enterprise accounts, healthcare
UPS

Jamie Spaeth, head of human resources, US commercial
Shire

Sarah Stock, PhD, VP, group scientific director

The Lockwood Group LLC

Melissa Strickland, team lead, account management
Doximity, Inc.

Amanda Strong, group medical copy supervisor
Giant Creative Strategy

Nicole Thompson, director human resources
BD

Jodi Virkus, oncology marketing indication lead
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation

Christie Whitehead, VP, account group supervisor
Havas Sanofi Genzyme Village

 

About the HBA

The Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association is a global nonprofit organization comprising individuals and organizations from across the healthcare industry committed to achieving gender parity in leadership positions; facilitating career and business connections; and providing effective practices that enable organizations to realize the full potential of their female talent.

The HBA accomplishes its mission through strong business networks, education, research, advocacy, and recognition for individuals and companies.

For additional details, please visit https://www.hbanet.org