15 of the Nation’s Leading Health Professionals to Receive Top-Ranked Industry Honor

(Black PR Wire) BlackDoctor.org (BDO), the leading online health destination for African Americans, and the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University announce the highly-anticipated list of distinguished honorees for the 5th Annual Top Blacks in Healthcare Awards Gala. This celebration of Black excellence will take place on Thursday, April 26, 2018 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Washington DC.

The awards gala, hosted by radio and television legend Donnie Simpson, and sponsored by Otsuka, Procter & Gamble (P&G), Genentech, Takeda, Amgen, and Gilead, will honor 15 individuals who have made outstanding contributions to medicine and health. These highly esteemed and accomplished individuals not only maintain a demanding work/life balance, but they are also progressively moving their communities forward.

Delivering the 2018 keynote address is Dr. William H. Carson, President and CEO of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. (Otsuka), a leading healthcare company developing innovative solutions for patients and care providers. Otsuka’s commitment to innovation in healthcare comes in many forms, with a focus on mental health – reinforced by their recent FDA approval for the first digital medicine– along with an emerging portfolio in digital health, oncology, and renal disease.

BlackDoctor.org salutes this extraordinary list of Black healthcare professionals named as the “BlackDoctor.org Top Blacks in Healthcare” 2018 award recipients:

Keith L. Black, MD; Chair, Department of Neurosurgery; Director, Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute; Director, Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Brain Tumor Center; Professor, Neurosurgery Ruth and Lawrence Harvey Chair in Neuroscience, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center 
Otis W. Brawley, MD, MACP; Chief Medical & Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President, American Cancer Society; Professor of Hematology, Oncology, Medicine and Epidemiology, Emory University 
Doris Browne, MD, MPH; President, National Medical Association 
William H. Carson, MD; President & Chief Executive Officer, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. (Otsuka) 
Craig Emmitt Cole, MD; Assistant Professor- Multiple Myeloma and Plasma Cell Dyscrasia Program, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan 
Julius B. Dixon; Commercial Business Director, Boehringer Ingelheim U.S. 
Quita Highsmith; Head, Alliance & Advocacy Relations, Genentech 
Keith Hopps; Director, CNS Marketing, Takeda Pharmaceuticals 
Doxie Jordan; Vice President, Area Commercial Lead, Novo Nordisk Inc. 
Conrod Kelly; Executive Director, US Marketing Lead, Diabetes Franchise, Merck 
LaQuandra S. Nesbitt, MD, MPH; Director, D.C. Department of Health 
Lisa A. Newman, MD, MPH; Director - Breast Oncology Program, Director - International Center for the Study of Breast Cancer Subtypes, Henry Ford Cancer Institute, Henry Ford Health System 
Coleman K. Obasaju, MD, PhD; Senior Medical Director-Oncology, Eli Lilly and Company 
Rukeyser S. Thompson, PhD; Global Hair Care Section Head Research & Development (R&D), Procter & Gamble (P&G) 
Brian Williams, RPh; Head of U.S. Marketing-Cardiovascular Franchise, Novartis Pharmaceuticals

For more information, please visit TBH.BlackDoctor.org.