Innovators in Health Awards

NEHI (Network for Excellence in Health Innovation) is committed to supporting and promoting health care innovation in all forms – from promising technologies that improve outcomes to promising programs and initiatives that promote better health. With its annual Innovators in Health Awards, NEHI recognizes pioneers whose efforts reflect NEHI’s own spirit of innovation and collaboration and whose work advances NEHI’s mission to improve the quality of health care for patients and their families.

Past Innovators in Health Honorees

2019
2019 Honorees

  • Joan Reede, MD, MPH

    Dean for Diversity and Community Partnership, Harvard Medical School

  • Sonia Vallabh, PhD and Eric Minikel, PhD

    Associated Scientists, Prions@Broad, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

  • Red Sox Foundation

    Accepted by Bekah Salwasser, Executive Director

2018
  • Scott Gottlieb, MD

    Commissioner of Food and Drugs, U.S. Food and Drug Administration

  • Senator Orrin Hatch

    United States Senator for Utah

  • Colleen LaBelle, MSN, RN-BC, CARN

    Director, State Office Based Addiction Treatment (OBAT); Director, Boston Medical Center’s OBAT

  • Former Congressman Henry Waxman

    Chairman, Waxman Strategies; Former United States Representative for California

2017
  • Charlie Baker

    Governor of Massachusetts

  • Patrick Conway, MD, MSc

    Former Deputy Administrator for Innovation and Quality, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; Incoming President and CEO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina

  • Jessie Gaeta, MD

    Chief Medical Officer, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program

2016
  • Edward J Benz Jr, MD

    Former President and CEO, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

  • Diane Rehm

    Host, The Diane Rehm Show

  • Janet Woodcock, MD

    Director, the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, the Food and Drug Administration

2015
  • Henri Termeer

    Former Genzyme CEO and leader in lifesciences

  • Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc

    Acting Assistant Secretary, HHS, and health IT leader

  • Partners In Health

    Accepted by Gary Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO

2014
  • Dr. Margaret Hamburg

    Commissioner, U.S. Food and Drug Administration

  • Rebecca Onie

    Co-Founder and CEO, Health Leads

  • James Park

    Co-Founder and CEO, Fitbit

2013
  • Susan Dentzer

    Senior Health Policy Advisor, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

  • Harvey V. Fineberg, MD, PhD

    President, Institute of Medicine

  • The Honorable Deval L. Patrick

    Governor of Massachusetts

2012
  • Robert J. Beall, PhD President and Chief Executive Officer, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
  • The Honorable Regina Benjamin, MD U.S. Surgeon General
  • Christine Cassel, MD President and CEO, American Board of Internal Medicine and ABIM Foundation
  • Joseph and Kathy O’Donnell The Joey Fund
  • Eric Olson, PhD Vice President, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
2011
  • Donald M. Berwick, MD Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
  • Dean Kamen Founder, DEKA Research and Development Corporation
  • The Honroable Thomas M. Menino Mayor of Boston
2010
  • Carolyn Clancy, MD Director, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
  • Patricia Gabow, MD CEO, Denver Health
  • Jennie Chin Hansen CEO, American Geriatrics Society
  • Jamie Heywood Co-Founder & Chairman, PatientsLikeMe; d’Arbeloff Founding Director, ALS Therapy Development Institute
  • Jack Wennberg, MD Peggy Y. Thomson Professor (Chair) in the Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Founder & Director Emeritus, The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice
2009
  • Christina Economos, PhD Associate Professor, Tufts University; Principal Investigator, Shape Up Somerville
  • Atul Gawande, MD Research Director, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Staff Writer, The New Yorker
  • Eric S. Lander, PhD President and Director, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT
  • Barry Zuckerman, MD Chief of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center; Founder, Project HEALTH, Medical-Legal Partnership for Children, Reach Out and Read
2008
  • Jack Connors Founding Partner and Chairman, Hill Holiday; Chairman, Partners HealthCare
  • The Honorable Sal DiMasi Massachusetts House Speaker
  • Andrew Dreyfus President, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation
  • Paul Guzzi President and CEO, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
  • Reverend Hurmon Hamilton President, Greater Boston Interfaith Organization
  • The Honorable Edward M. Kennedy United States Senator
  • Richard C. Lord President and CEO, Associated Industries of Massachusetts
  • John McDonough Executive Director, Health Care for All
  • The Honorable Richard T. Moore Massachusetts State Senator
  • The Honorable Mitt Romney Governor of Massachusetts
  • The Honorable Robert Travaglini Massachusetts Senate President
  • Nancy Turnbull President, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation
  • The Honorable Patricia Walrath Massachusetts State Representative

NEHI Member Spotlight

See our full member directory

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Biotechnology Innovation Organization
HIMSS
Community Care Collaborative
Steward Health Care System, LLC
AstraZeneca
CancerCare
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
California Life Sciences Association
America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP)
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
Novo Nordisk
Tufts Health Plan
DePuy Synthes
American Diabetes Association
Health Record Banking Alliance
Cardiovascular Research Foundation
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited
Beth Israel Lahey Health
Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association
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