Annual Gala set for June 20 in New York City to recognize foremost leaders in healthcare, government, and social impact
The Arnold P. Gold Foundation will recognize four healthcare leaders who embody the ideal of placing human interests, values, and dignity at the core of healthcare with its 2023 National Humanism in Medicine Medal.
This year’s medal honorees are: global nursing leader and Dean of the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences at Howard University Dr. Gina S. Brown; visionary physician President and CEO of the Gold Foundation Dr. Richard I. Levin, who will be stepping down this summer after an extraordinary 12-year tenure; national health policy leader, founding Dean and President Emeritus of the Morehouse School of Medicine, and former Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Honorable Dr. Louis W. Sullivan; and pioneering nursing leader and Dean at the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing Dr. Eileen Sullivan-Marx.
The four honorees will be presented with their awards at the Gold Foundation’s Annual Gala, Tuesday, June 20, which returns to the beautiful Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City. The Annual Gala draws leaders of medical and nursing education, of hospitals and health systems, of community health centers, and of global healthcare companies, as well as humanistic doctors, nurses, and students, Gold Humanism Honor Society members, Gold grantees and awardees, and passionate supporters of humanism in healthcare.
“We are honored to recognize these distinguished leaders who have each made an indelible mark on humanism in healthcare,” said Gold Foundation Board Chairman Richard C. Sheerr. “Their pioneering vision and immense dedication – across nursing and medical schools, innovative public policy and community health, nationally and globally – has made a remarkable difference to patient care. We are grateful to each of them, and we look forward to celebrating them in June.”
The four gala honorees:
Dr. Gina S. Brown, PhD, MSA, RN, FAAN, is a transformational global leader, educator, and nurse, who has spent more than 30 years focused on care and education in North America, Asia, and Africa. Since 2015, she has led the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences as Dean at Howard University, the most esteemed historically Black university in the nation. Dr. Brown is engaged with a wide spectrum of nursing leaders and interdisciplinary health care professionals (Allied Health Sciences, Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy) to advance inclusive healthcare in America. She served as a Commissioner for the NLN (National League for Nursing) Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation and serves on a number of other senior academic boards. Championing diversity, equity, and inclusion are hallmarks of her work. Dr. Brown has spoken on 5 continents on issues ranging from health disparities and social justice to religious liberty. She has lent her vast administrative and academic experience in multiple areas (traditional, adult, and online learning) to the development of both graduate and undergraduate programs. She has also brought her expertise in curriculum development to international programs, including schools and hospitals in Ghana, the Philippines, and Tanzania. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. Dr. Brown has been a speaker at several Gold Foundation conferences, bringing her keen insights into humanistic care, and she and fellow medal honoree and nursing dean Dr. Sullivan-Marx have formed a research and educational partnership with their two nursing schools focused on health equity. Read a profile of Dr. Brown.
Richard I. Levin, MD, is an extraordinary physician leader who has been President and CEO of The Arnold P. Gold Foundation since 2012. He has guided the nonprofit organization through a period of transformational growth, expanding its reach to nursing schools and corporate partners, and elevating the message of humanism. Under his tenure, the Gold Foundation has established the Gold Corporate Council, reinvigorated the Gold Partners Council, founded the Canadian affiliate of the Gold Foundation and established the first Canadian award, the AFMC-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare, jointly created the Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare, and expanded the Gold Humanism Honor Society to more than 45,000 members and 180 chapters. Under Dr. Levin’s leadership, the Gold Foundation made its commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism explicitly woven into its programs, for true humanism in healthcare is for all. Prior to his current role, Dr. Levin was Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Vice-Principal for Health Affairs at McGill University and, previously, Vice Dean for Education, Faculty and Academic Affairs and Professor of Medicine at NYU School of Medicine. He is an Emeritus Attending Physician at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, the oldest public hospital in the United States. He is also a practicing cardiologist, pioneering research in the cell biology of vascular disease, and the founder of a diagnostics company. Dr. Levin is a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Read a profile of Dr. Levin.
Eileen Sullivan-Marx, PhD, MS, RN, FAAN, is a visionary nursing leader, educator, and clinician known for research and innovative approaches in primary care, sustaining models of care using advanced practice nurses, pioneering collaborations, and developing health policy in community-based settings. With a strong belief in the integration of practice, research, education, and interdisciplinary teamwork, Dr. Sullivan-Marx has built and sustained models of team care, including a private family practice and numerous older adult team programs in academic centers as well as the Veterans Administration. Since 2012, Dr. Sullivan-Marx has led NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing as Dean and the Erline Perkins McGriff Professor of Nursing. Her deanship included such milestones as the completion of the college’s first real home, the 433 1st Avenue building; the generous naming gift from the Meyers family that funds full scholarships for first-generation students with financial need; and advancing the school as a top 15 nursing school in research funding. Prior to NYU, Dr. Sullivan-Marx had a distinguished career at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, where she was the associate dean for practice and community affairs. Dr. Sullivan-Marx is past president of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN), which she led during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is a Trustee of the Gold Foundation, as well as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, New York Academy of Medicine, and the Gerontology Society of America. Read a profile of Dr. Sullivan-Marx.
The Honorable Louis W. Sullivan, MD, is a national icon in healthcare, Founding Dean and President of Morehouse School of Medicine, and esteemed leader in health policy and minority health advocacy. He is Chairman of the Washington, D.C.-based Sullivan Alliance to Transform the Health Professions, which is now a program of the Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC), a subsidiary of the AAMC. Dr. Sullivan served as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under President George H. W. Bush. His vast efforts to improve the health and health behavior of Americans included establishing the Office of Research on Minority Health at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (the office became the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities); inaugurating the Women’s Health Research Program at NIH; and introducing a new, improved Food and Drug Administration food label. Dr. Sullivan led the Morehouse School of Medicine for more than two decades, one of the most prestigious historically black colleges of medicine, and was Founding President of the Association of Minority Health Professions Schools (AMHPS). He serves on the corporate boards of United Therapeutics and Emergent BioSolutions and co-chairs the Henry Schein Cares Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Henry Schein, Inc., a Gold Corporate Council member. He is also the author of multiple books, including The Morehouse Mystique: Becoming a Doctor at the Nation’s Newest African American Medical School, his autobiography Breaking Ground: My Life in Medicine and We’ll Fight It Out Here: A History of the Ongoing Struggle for Health Equity (the history of AMHPS). Read a profile of Dr. Sullivan.
The Gold Foundation invites you to join the celebration of these four extraordinary leaders at its Annual Gala on June 20 in New York City. Tickets and sponsorships are available now. Learn more on the Gala webpage.
