Hackensack Meridian Health‘s CEO Robert Garrett recently received the 2023 Chairman’s Award from the Research & Development Council of New Jersey at its 44th Edison Awards Ceremony & Reception on Nov. 15 at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City.
Garrett was recognized for his positive impact on health care outcomes and medical innovations in the state of New Jersey and was lauded by Gov. Phil Murphy and former New Jersey Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli.
“From Edison to Einstein and all of the other Nobel laureates we have produced in the Garden State, we can all take tremendous pride in these collective contributions,” Garrett said. “At Hackensack Meridian Health, our mission is to transform health care and be the leader of positive change. This award salutes this mission and our teams of researchers, physicians, nurses and other health care heroes who live it every day.”
The Chairman’s Award was established in 2001 to honor an individual for outstanding effort and leadership in uniting industry, academia and the state in pursuit of enhancing and emphasizing a research-based economy in New Jersey.
“This honor is certainly richly deserved,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said. “For over four decades, Bob has put the health and well being of his fellow New Jerseyans above everything else. Bob’s visionary leadership has been a game-changer for Hackensack Meridian Health, allowing it to expand and serve even more patients in innovative and compassionate ways.”
“Leadership is about change, it’s not about maintaining the status quo,” Persichilli said. “Change is difficult and it takes a leader with confidence and resilience, and that’s what Bob has shown through the years to bring Hackensack Meridian Health to national and even international prominence.”
Past recipients include: PSEG’s former Chairman, CEO & President Ralph Izzo, Celgene’s former Chairman and CEO Dr. Sol Barer, Murphy, Persichilli, Merck Executive Chairman Kenneth Frazier and former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean.
“As the chief executive officer of New Jersey’s largest health care network, Bob Garrett’s efforts have had a tremendous impact on health care outcomes and medical innovation in the state,” Anthony Cicatellio, president, Research & Development Council of New Jersey, said. “From the launch of Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, the merger with the Carrier Clinic and the creation of the Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, Bob’s leadership is having a direct and positive impact on the people of our great state. It is for this and more that we wish to honor him with the Research & Development Council’s Chairman’s Award.”
Since 1962, the Research & Development Council has worked to advance research & development throughout New Jersey. The annual awards ceremony celebrated R&D and STEM in New Jersey and also recognized the contributions of many other innovators, scientists and researchers from across the state.
“As we emerge from the pandemic, we continue to embrace this philosophy: Innovation is the only way forward,” Garrett added. “I cannot imagine a more exciting moment in healthcare, in medicine, and in discovery and innovation. These are truly transformational times, and I salute all of the experts who are helping us live our mission.”
