NEW YORK, June 2, 2021 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The Vilcek Foundation and The Arnold P. Gold Foundation are pleased to announce that the 2021 Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare is jointly awarded to Dr. Jirayut “New” Latthivongskorn and Dr. Denisse Rojas Marquez. The Vilcek-Gold Award is a shared initiative of the Vilcek Foundation and the Gold Foundation that embodies the missions of both organizations: The award celebrates the contributions of outstanding immigrant healthcare professionals in the United States; the award also recognizes the positive impact that accessible, humanistic, and compassionate care has on public health. 

Latthivongskorn and Rojas Marquez receive the 2021 Vilcek-Gold Award for their leadership in establishing Pre-Health Dreamers (PHDreamers) with Angel Ku. PHDreamers is a collective organization that provides information and resources to young immigrants who want to pursue higher education and careers in healthcare. They also receive the award in recognition of their advocacy in support of undocumented immigrants in the United States. Both have spoken publicly on the humanitarian impacts of immigration policy, and about the value of programs like Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). In 2017, Rojas Marquez provided testimony at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in support of the DACA program, and Latthivongskorn was a plaintiff in Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California—the case that brought DACA before the Supreme Court of the United States in 2019.

Latthivongskorn is a resident physician at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center; he completed his doctor of medicine degree at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and has a Master of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Rojas Marquez is an incoming resident physician at Boston Medical Center and holds a doctor of medicine degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City and a Master of Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Latthivongskorn and Rojas Marquez‘ commitment to advocacy in support of undocumented immigrants is compelling and personal. Both Latthivongskorn and Rojas Marquez immigrated to the United States with their families when they were children—Latthivongskorn from Thailand when he was 9 and Rojas Marquez from Mexico when she was less than a year old. Due to their respective ages at the time of their arrival in the United States, both were eligible to apply for DACA; both are currently DACA recipients. As adolescents, they witnessed their families encounter obstacles to accessing healthcare as a result of their immigration status; as a result of these experiences, they sought careers in healthcare and public health so that they could provide the kind of care to others that their own families struggled to receive. 

“The advocacy of Jirayut ‘New’ Latthivongskorn and Denisse Rojas Marquez has offered immigrants greater access to education, opportunity, and representation,” said Dr. Jan Vilcek, CEO and chairman of the Vilcek Foundation. “As DACA recipients and young medical professionals, their leadership is grounded in their own experiences. We recognize New and Denisse as the joint recipients of the 2021 Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare to highlight the outstanding contributions that immigrants are making to our communities, our healthcare system, and our country.”

Dr. Richard I. Levin, president and CEO of the Gold Foundation, said: “Humanism, like medicine itself as [William] Osler said, knows no boundaries or borders. We are honored to partner with the Vilcek Foundation to recognize the groundbreaking contributions of Jirayut ‘New’ Latthivongskorn and Denisse Rojas Marquez, both young doctors who have helped illuminate the way forward for so many others in advocating for a more fair, a more diverse, and thus a more humanistic healthcare system.”

The 2019 Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare was presented to Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha for her advocacy to address the lead-poisoning epidemic in Flint, Michigan. In 2020, the Vilcek-Gold Award was bestowed upon Dr. Vivek Murthy—19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States—for his multi-faceted approach to addressing the opioid crisis, and for his advocacy and support of human- and community-centered care. 

Hanna-Attisha reflected, “In a year like no other, our young healthcare leaders have bravely and tirelessly stood up for justice, equality, democracy, and opportunity. Leading the revolution, New and Denisse have paved the way for countless immigrants to not just dream, but to realize, a career in health care.” 

The Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare includes an unrestricted cash prize of $10,000, and a commemorative heart-shaped trophy. The award will be presented to Latthivongskorn and Rojas Marquez at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Annual Meeting in November 2021. 

Read more about the Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare at the Vilcek Foundation. 

The Vilcek Foundation

The Vilcek Foundation raises awareness of immigrant contributions in the United States and fosters appreciation for the arts and sciences. The foundation was established in 2000 by Jan and Marica Vilcek, immigrants from the former Czechoslovakia. The mission of the foundation was inspired by Jan and Marica’s respective careers in biomedical science and art history. Since 2000, the foundation has awarded over $5.9 million in prizes to foreign-born individuals and has supported organizations with over $5.3 million in grants.

The Vilcek Foundation is a private operating foundation, a federally tax-exempt nonprofit organization under IRS Section 501(c)(3).

The Arnold P. Gold Foundation

The Arnold P. Gold Foundation was founded in 1988 with the vision that healthcare will be dramatically improved by placing the interests, values, and dignity of all people at the core of teaching and practice. The Gold Foundation champions humanism in healthcare, which the foundation defines as compassionate, collaborative, and scientifically excellent care; the foundation embraces all, and targets any barriers that prevent individuals or groups from accessing this standard of care. The Gold Foundation empowers experts, learners, and leaders to create systems and cultures that support humanistic care for all. 

The Arnold P. Gold Foundation is a public not-for-profit organization, a federally tax-exempt organization under IRS Section 501(c)(3).

Contact
Elizabeth Boylan
The Vilcek Foundation
212-472-2500
[email protected]

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SOURCE The Vilcek Foundation

PARSIPPANY, N.J., June 2, 2021 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Reckitt, the maker of Lysol®, has joined the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative in their efforts to promote COVID-19 vaccine awareness, releasing a new public service announcement (PSA) encouraging people to visit GetVaccineAnswers.org for information. The PSA – which focuses on the long-awaited moments of welcoming friends and family back into our homes – will help amplify the organizations’ historic “It’s Up To You” campaign, which educates people about COVID-19 vaccines and the role they play in helping us all get back to the moments we miss.

Lysol’s PSA, titled “Come On Over,” will be released on social and digital channels, including Lysol’s YouTube page, as well as on national television. It features groups of people inviting friends and family back into their homes as they greet and embrace each other, showcasing the moments when loved ones can safely reunite at home. Viewers are then directed to GetVaccineAnswers.org to find additional resources and information regarding COVID-19 vaccines.  

“For more than a century Lysol has been helping people protect their loved ones and prevent the spread of illness-causing germs,” said E. Yuri Hermida, EVP North America Hygiene for Reckitt. “We’re uniquely positioned to deliver on the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative’s goal to encourage people to learn more about COVID-19 vaccines to make informed decisions. We hope the promise of being able to re-open our homes will inspire people to seek out answers from trusted, scientifically-backed sources.”

“With the COVID-19 vaccines widely available, it’s critical that Americans with questions know where to turn for reliable answers,” said Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council. “We are thrilled that Lysol, a brand deeply trusted by consumers, is joining our initiative. Together, we can inspire individuals who are still hesitant to get the facts about the safety and efficacy of these vaccines.”

The Ad Council and COVID Collaborative’s “It’s Up To You” campaign represents one of the largest and most significant public health communications campaigns in U.S. history, convening hundreds of partners to help educate the public about COVID-19 vaccines. Created in close partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), all “It’s Up To You” messaging is rigorously vetted and backed by science.

“Lysol has played an outsized role in keeping Americans safe during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said John Bridgeland, Co-Founder and CEO of COVID Collaborative. “We are thrilled that they are joining our public service campaign with the Ad Council.”

Lysol’s partnership with the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative represents the next step in its ongoing mission to educate individuals and communities and provide them with resources to make informed decisions about health and hygiene. In 2020, Lysol partnered with the CDC Foundation to create and distribute “Welcome Back Packs” – filled with educational resources on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 – to hundreds of Title I schools across the country. Lysol has also lent its 100-plus years of germ-kill expertise to partnerships with national brands and organizations to provide disinfecting products and help strengthen disinfection protocols.

For more information on COVID-19 vaccines and the “It’s Up to You” campaign, visit GetVaccineAnswers.org.

ABOUT RECKITT
Reckitt** is driven by its purpose to protect, heal and nurture in a relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world. We fight to make access to the highest-quality hygiene, wellness and nourishment a right, not a privilege, for everyone. Reckitt is proud to have a stable of trusted household brands found in households in more than 190 countries. These include Enfamil, Nutramigen, Nurofen, Strepsils, Gaviscon, Mucinex, Durex, Scholl, Clearasil, Lysol, Dettol, Veet, Harpic, Cillit Bang, Mortein, Finish, Vanish, Calgon, Woolite, Air Wick and more. 20 million Reckitt products a day are bought by consumers globally.

Reckitt’s passion to put consumers and people first, to seek out new opportunities, to strive for excellence in all that we do, and to build shared success with all our partners, while doing the right thing, always is what guides the work of our 40,000+ diverse and talented colleagues worldwide. For more information visit www.rb.com/us.

**Reckitt is the trading name of the Reckitt Benckiser group of companies

ABOUT THE AD COUNCIL
The Ad Council has a long history of creating life-saving public service communications in times of national crisis, starting in the organization’s earliest days during World War II to September 11th and natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy. Its deep relationships with media outlets, the creative community, issue experts and government leaders make the organization uniquely poised to quickly distribute life-saving information to millions of Americans.

The Ad Council is where creativity and causes converge. The non-profit organization brings together the most creative minds in advertising, media, technology and marketing to address many of the nation’s most important causes. The Ad Council has created many of the most iconic campaigns in advertising history. Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk. Smokey Bear. Love Has No Labels.

The Ad Council’s innovative social good campaigns raise awareness, inspire action and save lives. To learn more, visit AdCouncil.org, follow the Ad Council’s communities on Facebook and Twitter, and view the creative on YouTube.

ABOUT COVID COLLABORATIVE
COVID Collaborative, a project of UNITE, is a national assembly of experts, leaders and institutions in health, education and the economy and associations representing the diversity of the country to turn the tide on the pandemic by supporting federal, state and local COVID-19 response efforts.

The COVID Collaborative is co-chaired by former Governor and U.S. Senator Dirk Kempthorne (R-ID) and former Governor Deval Patrick (D-MA) and led by CEO John Bridgeland and President Gary Edson. COVID Collaborative includes expertise from across Republican and Democratic administrations at the federal, state and local levels, including former FDA commissioners, CDC directors, and U.S. surgeon generals; former U.S. secretaries of Education, Homeland Security and Health and Human Services; leading public health experts and institutions that span the country; the Business Roundtable, National Association of Manufacturers and U.S. Chamber of Commerce; the NAACP, UnidosUS and the National Congress of American Indians; the Skoll Foundation, The Allstate Foundation and The Rockefeller Foundation; and associations representing those on the front lines, from the American Public Health Association and Association of State and Territorial Health Officials to the Council of Chief State School Officers and the Council of the Great City Schools. Tim Shriver is Chairman of UNITE.

To learn more, visit www.CovidCollaborative.us, and follow the COVID Collaborative on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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SOURCE Reckitt

MIAMI, June 2, 2021 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — This summer is blasting off with the FedEx St. Jude Angels & Stars Giving Campaign for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital^® from now through June 30, with an online auction going live on June 10.

Now in its 19^th year, the campaign replaces the annual FedEx St. Jude Angels & Stars gala in Miami to celebrate the momentous connection St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital shares with Inspiration4, the world’s first all-civilian flight to space that is scheduled to depart from Cape Canaveral on Wednesday, Sept. 15.

On board the flight will be Hayley Arceneaux, a pediatric cancer survivor who now works for St. Jude as a physician assistant. She recently shared that she is grateful to be part of the space mission because it sends this important message to the kids at St. Jude: A cancer survivor can do things they never dreamed possible, even go to space.

Thanks to generous donors through giving campaigns like this one, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. 

“When people support this historic mission, they’re supporting the healing mission of St. Jude, to find cures for catastrophic diseases, and to treat some of the sickest children in the world, regardless of race or creed or their family’s ability to pay,” she said.

In addition to making a tax-deductible donation to St. Jude and participating in the online auction from June 10-24, participants may purchase a once-in-a-lifetime Inspiration4 launch package that includes a visit to Cape Canaveral, Florida. They will be treated to a private dinner surrounded by vintage planes in a local hangar with special guests, including famed artist Romero Britto. The next morning, they will visit the Apollo/Saturn 5 Center where there will be catering and a live video feed to watch the launch of Inspiration4.

Sponsors for the FedEx St. Jude Angels & Stars Giving Campaign include: FedEx, Anthony R. Abraham Foundation, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, UKG, Zoological Wildlife Foundation, Inc., Univision, Maestre, The Dream Team Agency and YO Creative and Marketing Consulting.

To learn more, visit stjude.org/angelsandstarsgala or contact Ligia Santos at (305) 537-1429.

About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital^®
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children.^® It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and subscribing to its YouTube channel.

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SOURCE ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital