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Executives from the World’s Top Companies and Ministers of Health Enjoyed Opportunities for Networking, Discussion of Public Health Priorities

WASHINGTON, DC (September 28, 2010) – Ministers of health, ambassadors, notable U.S. government representatives, and high-level executives from the world’s top companies gathered for the PAHO/PAHEF Awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health Event. The awards are cosponsored by the Pan American Health and Education Foundation (PAHEF) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Bringing together a who’s who of public health and business names from the Americas, this year’s event attracted ministers of health from Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua, Suriname, and other nations in Latin America and the Caribbean. Additionally, high-level executives from more than a dozen of the world’s most prominent companies including the Coca-Cola Company, Novartis, PepsiCo, Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, Grocery Manufacturers Association, Kraft Foods Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., and Nestlé S.A. attended. Those present enjoyed multiple opportunities for networking and discussion of strategies to advance public health in the Americas. 

The event took place concurrently with the 50th PAHO Directing Council, in which ministers of health and other high-level health authorities from throughout the Western Hemisphere met to set regional health priorities.

PAHEF has an established history of bringing the public and private sectors together to address pressing health issues in the Americas. “PAHEF plays a unique role in helping to forge partnerships between the public and private sectors,” said Edward L. Kadunc, president of PAHEF. “The event was a rare opportunity for senior level people from the public sector and corporate world to come together and discuss strategies for advancing health in the Region.”

At the ceremony, the following awards were given: the Abraham Horwitz Award for Excellence in Leadership in Inter-American Health was presented to Dr. Carlos Monteiro, University of São Paulo, Brazil; the Manuel Velasco Suárez Award for Excellence in Bioethics was presented to Dr. Paulina Taboada, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Chile; the Sérgio Arouca Award for Excellence in Universal Health Care was presented to Dr. Maria Fátima de Sousa, University of Brasília, Brazil; the Clarence H. Moore Award for Excellence for Voluntary Service was presented to The Peruvian League against Cancer, Peru; and the Pedro N. Acha Award for Excellence in Veterinary Public Health was presented to Dr. Luisa Zanolli Moreno, University of São Paulo, Brazil. The PAHO Award for Administration was presented to Dr. Elsa Yolanda Palou, Chief, Infectious Diseases Services, National Cardio-Pulmonary Institute, Honduras and the PAHO Champion of Health Award was presented to Fernando Javier Sendra,  the creator of Yo, Matías comic, Argentina. 

This is the second time the PAHO/PAHEF event was held at the Hall of the Americas at the historic Organization of American States Building.

For more than 30 years, PAHEF has recognized and awarded individuals who have dedicated their lives to advancing public health and health care in the Americas. 

PAHEF, renowned for supporting health-related projects in the Western Hemisphere, is currently focusing efforts on combating the alarming rise of chronic diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean, in support of PAHO’s Regional Strategy on an Integrated Approach to the Prevention and Control of Chronic Diseases Including Diet, Physical Activity, and Health. 

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Founded in 1968, the Pan American Health and Education Foundation (PAHEF) is a public 501(c)(3) foundation dedicated to fostering public health programs in the Americas that address major health concerns. PAHEF improves the lives of people throughout the Americas by working with the public and private sectors as well as major public health research, policy, and development groups. 

PAHEF frequently collaborates with PAHO, the Pan American Health Organization, which serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization.

The Awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health stimulate the growth of the next and rising generation of leaders working together to improve health and health care in the Americas. The Awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health Program is a partnership between the Pan American Health and Education Foundation and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). A jury of distinguished public health professionals reviews nominations and recommends a candidate for each award to the board of directors of the Foundation for final selection. The awards have the unique distinction of recognizing both established and emerging contributors to the field of public health within the Western Hemisphere. Throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, they are recognized as a career-defining achievement that brings honor and recognition. 

ABOUT PAHO: The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) was established in 1902 and is the world’s oldest public health organization. It works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and quality of life of the people of the Americas and serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO).

pahef.org

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