WORLDWIDE CONTACT US ABOUT US INVENTING FOR LIFE PRODUCTS RESEARCH LICENSING NEWSROOM CAREERS INVESTORS Home JULIE GERBERDING HONORED AS 2018 WOMAN OF THE YEAR Award from the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association recognizes her significant contributions to health and fostering advancement of women. Merck’s Julie Gerberding, M.D., M.P.H. was honored as the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) 2018 Woman of the Year. Julie was recognized for her remarkable contributions to health as a physician, infectious disease expert, first female director of the CDC and for her leadership roles at Merck. Julie accepted the award at an event attended by more than 2,000 people from across the healthcare and the life sciences industries. Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State, reflected in a video message on some of Julie’s achievements: “I’ve worked side by side with Julie during some of the toughest times,” she said. “We dealt with global pandemics like the avian flu. We dealt with post-9/11 threats of biological warfare. We dealt with the anthrax attack and alarm over smallpox.” A PASSIONATE ADVOCATE FOR WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE Julie was also recognized for her steadfast advocacy for the development and advancement of women in the workplace. “Julie is a tireless champion of women,” said Ken Frazier, Merck chairman and CEO, at the event. “Everywhere she goes, she works to advance the cause of women’s leadership and gender parity.” "At Merck, we have a belief that was first expressed by our modern-day founder, who said, 'We try never to forget that medicine is for the people.' We live by those words. But with every fiber of her being, Julie embodies them. And because she does, our company – and our world – are a better places." “ Most of us are working to solve really complicated health challenges, and the simple truth is that no single leader or organization can do it alone. It requires coordinated contributions across different disciplines, different sectors, and different cultures. It requires building a robust network of people who bring a diverse range of experiences and perspectives to the table to achieve the goals, and playing to their collective strengths.” — Julie Gerberding, in her acceptance speech 2018 HBA RISING STAR Kunbi Rudnick, associate director, Global Marketing, was also recognized at the event as a 2018 HBA Rising Star. HBA Rising Stars are professionals in various sectors of the healthcare industry, including pharmaceutical, biotechnology, advertising, public relations, medical education and market research, among other fields. They represent various career stages and disciplines, and have demonstrated noteworthy achievements and proven attention to furthering their careers. Published May 2018 Copyright. © 2009-2018 Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Forward-Looking Statement Privacy Terms of Use Site Map