Newborn Foundation Honors Leaders in Newborn Health, Technology, Policy and Advocacy at 2015 Awards Gala
The Newborn Foundation, an international nonprofit leveraging medical technologies to improve outcomes and reduce disparities for newborns, hosted the 2015 Awards Gala in Minneapolis on Saturday, October 10. The event recognized outstanding leaders in newborn and pediatric health and was hosted by Emmy Award-winning WCCO journalist, Jason DeRusha, and attended by several current and former members of Congress, legislative leaders and officials from state and federal health agencies along with support from international ministries of health and the United Nations Foundation.
Among the awards presented were:
Hubert H Humphrey “Dawn of Life”Award presented by Hubert “Buck” Humphrey IV, grandson of the former vice president to:
Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-3) for policy leadership in maternal and child health and outstanding advocacy following the diagnosis of her own daughter with life-threatening illnesses
Dr. Ted Thompson Visionary Awards Presented by Dr. Carrie George, University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital to:
Gwenyth Fischer, MD, University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital, for outstanding leadership in newborn and pediatric medicine and leadership in pediatric medical device innovation with the Pediatric Device Innovation Consortium
R. Rodney Howell Award for Excellence in Newborn Health presented by Dr. Rodney Howell,Professor of Pediatrics and Chairman Emeritus, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami to:
Alex Kemper, MD, MPH, MS Duke University School of Medicine for national and international leadership in newborn screening, policy and pediatric health
Eve Award for Innovation in Newborn Health presented by Dr. Scott Fahrenkrug, adjunct professor, University of Minnesota and CEO, Recombineticsto:
Linda Wright, MD, NICHD, National Institutes of Health, for a lifetime of service, advocacy and innovation in improving the health outcomes of mothers and newborns in low-resource settings around the world
Dr. Carolyn McGregor, PhD, Canada Research Chair in Health Informatics, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, for outstanding innovation in health information systems and technology to support newborn and pediatric medicine
David R Tesch Advocacy Award presented by Jolene Tesch, David’s mother & Congenital Heart Disease & Screening Advocate to:
Dana Shelso, 6-year-old Olive’s mother and leader in rare disease and special health needs advocacy
“The award recipients represent the most talented, most committed individuals dedicated to saving newborn lives and improving the health of young patients around the world,” said Annamarie Saarinen, Co-founder and CEO of the Newborn Foundation. “We are fortunate to be learning from them and building on their efforts to benefit countless children in the years ahead.”
The event also featured performances from survivors of critical newborn health conditions and included guest appearances by national recording artist Paris Bennett and the acclaimed Curio Dance company.
Proceeds from the event support the continued efforts of the Newborn Foundation to leverage technologies in improving early detection of health conditions and access to care for
newborns. The awards gala was held on the heels of the Newborn Foundation’s training and implementation of a major newborn screening project in China, impacting some 250,000 newborns. The Newborn Foundation’s BORN Project was recently highlighted as one of only 14 innovations from around the world during the Solutions Summit at the 70th UN General Assembly in New York City.
Corporate sponsors included Masimo, Recombinetics, the NFL Alumni Association, Ainsley Shea, University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital, OZ Systems, Minnesota Monthly,
Life Time Fitness, Rick & Gretchen Jelinek, Julian Design, Smile Network International, Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, Mercy & Unity Hospitals Foundation, and Jaguar Land Rover Minneapolis.
About the Newborn Foundation
The Newborn Foundation leverages technology innovations to improve access and health outcomes for newborns. Co-founded by the mother of a child diagnosed and treated for critical congenital heart defects as a newborn, the organization has been integral in the policy development, adoption and implementation of technologies for early detection, intervention and care of the youngest patients, including the landmark addition of universal newborn screening with pulse oximetry for heart defects and other serious health conditions. Internationally, the Newborn Foundation is conducting vital newborn health projects in the UK, Morocco, the Philippines, Ecuador and rural China, impacting the hardest to reach and most underserved babies.
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For more information or gala photos, visit http://www.newbornfoundation.org/babies-badasses.
Media Contact: Marina Maric
