Are you looking for tickets or sponsorship information? Find all that and more at the 2025 Gold Standard Gala website.
he Arnold P. Gold Foundation is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 National Humanism in Medicine Medal: physician-scientist and leader of the groundbreaking International Human Genome Project Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD; patient experience and health equity innovator Dwight W. McBee, MBA, BSN, RN, CPXP; trailblazing nurse and compassionate care policy advocate Susan C. Reinhard, PhD, RN; and champion of human-centered healthcare and chair of the Board of Trustees of The Arnold P. Gold Foundation Richard Sheerr.
Dr. Collins, Mr. McBee, Dr. Reinhard, and Mr. Sheerr will be presented their medals at the Gold Foundation’s Gold Standard Gala on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at the beautiful Guastavino’s in New York City. These outstanding honorees have placed the mission of humanism at the center of their lives and work. They have made profound contributions across patient experience, nursing, medical research, healthcare policy, teaching, and strategic organizational leadership, and they have bettered the lives of countless patients, family members, and caregivers.
“This year’s four medal recipients have helped advance kind, safe, trustworthy care in inspiring ways,” said Dr. Kathleen Reeves, President and CEO of the Gold Foundation. “By dedicating themselves to the people in front of them — patients, healthcare team members, caregivers, families — these honorees have shaped direct patient care as well as the broader healthcare ecosystem of research, policy, and culture. We are excited to be honoring each of them.”
Michael J. Dowling, President and CEO of Northwell Health and one of healthcare’s most influential executives, will serve as the event’s honorary chair. The emcee of this year’s gala will be Gold Trustee Dr. Kimberly Manning, a national voice of humanism who is a Professor at Emory School of Medicine and a general internist at Grady Hospital in Atlanta.
All supporters of humanism in healthcare are invited to join this special celebration and help advance the Gold Foundation’s mission.
The 2025 honorees are:
Dr. Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD is a physician-scientist whose career exemplifies the intersection of scientific excellence and humanistic values. He served as the director of the National Human Genome Research Institute and director of the National Institutes of Health, in addition to leading his own research laboratory to landmark discoveries.
As director of the National Human Genome Research Institute from 1993 to 2008, Dr. Collins led the International Human Genome Project to a successful finished sequence of the human DNA “instruction book.” This achievement revolutionized modern medicine, ushering in the era of genomic medicine and personalized healthcare. Genomic information now enables physicians to classify tumors based on their genetic mutations, leading to precisely targeted therapies for each individual. Physicians are now also able to treat rare genetic disorders with breakthrough gene therapies for such conditions as inherited retinal diseases, sickle cell anemia, and certain forms of muscular dystrophy. In everyday medicine, genetic insights now guide the prevention and treatment of common conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and various cancers.
Dwight W. McBee, MBA, BSN, RN, CPXP, built on his 20-plus years of experience as an ICU nurse to develop innovative approaches to patient care. Currently the Senior Vice President and Chief Experience Officer at RWJBarnabas Health, the largest academic healthcare system in New Jersey, Mr. McBee works tirelessly to advance the human connection in healthcare.
Mr. McBee began his career as an ICU nurse at Paul Kimball Medical Center, now known as Monmouth Medical Center South, a RWJBarnabas Health facility in New Jersey. He later worked at AtlantiCare Health System, where he developed the “Starfish Experience” curriculum, which focused on building trust with patients. He has held numerous leadership positions, including as Executive Vice President, Clinical Health Equity, and Chief Experience Officer at Jefferson Health and as Vice President and Chief Experience Officer at Temple University Health System. Mr. McBee also held the position of Corporate Director of Customer Experience at AtlantiCare Health System.
Dr. Susan C. Reinhard, PhD, RN, FAAN, has championed humanistic care as a clinician, educator, researcher, and policymaker. She is a passionate advocate for patients and family caregivers, and she continuously urges nurses to impact healthcare from the bedside to national policy.
Dr. Reinhard serves as Chief Strategist Emeritus at AARP’s Center to Champion Nursing in America and as Visiting Professor at the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators at UC Davis. She is the incoming Chair of the RWJBarnabas Health Board of Trustees and has held distinguished leadership roles at AARP’s Public Policy Institute, Rutgers Center for State Health Policy, the New Jersey Department of Health, the National Academy for State Health Policy, the National Alliance for Caregiving, and the American Academy of Nursing, to name a few.
Richard C. Sheerr has served as the Board Chair of The Arnold P. Gold Foundation since 2016, bringing visionary leadership that has significantly advanced the foundation’s mission of compassionate, patient-centered care. As President of Willings Advisors LLC and former leader of The Wagman Primus Group, Mr. Sheerr has generously shared his business acumen with the Gold Foundation.
Along with serving as Chair of the Gold Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Mr. Sheerr has held distinguished leadership positions in various healthcare institutions, including Chairman of the Board at Einstein Healthcare Network and Board Chair of the then independent Moss Rehabilitation Hospital. In addition, he served on the Board of Jefferson. In each role, he has been a strong advocate for humanism in healthcare, understanding that the human connection benefits patients, clinicians, and the business, as supported by scientific evidence.
Sponsorships and tickets are available now on the Gold Standard Gala website, along with more information about the honorees and the event. For questions or additional ways to support, please reach out to Pia Pyne Miller at pmiller@gold-foundation.org.
The Gold Standard Gala is the Gold Foundation’s largest fundraiser of the year. This event helps fund our programs and events that support the essential connection between patients and clinicians. We hope you’ll join us for this special evening on June 3, 2025, in New York City.
