Former President George H.W. Bush recognized 13 companies for their efforts in preventing cancer in the workplace and their “bold and venturesome” leadership in the overall fight against cancer. The companies, which were accredited with the CEO Cancer Gold Standard™, received their awards from the 41st President during last week’s annual meeting of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, which was chaired by Johnson & Johnson Chairman and CEO William C. Weldon.

“Adopting the Gold Standard is a tribute to the leadership of the CEOs of these organizations, and to the high value they place on their employees,” said William C. Weldon, chairman and chief executive officer of Johnson & Johnson and chairman of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer. “When former President Bush convened the CEO Roundtable, he called on the nation’s corporate executives to demonstrate leadership in battling cancer and improving the lives of employees and their families. Our thanks go out to these companies and to others who are currently seeking to help us fulfill this worthwhile mission.”

Companies that have received the CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ accreditation from the CEO Roundtable on Cancer are: American Cancer Society (national headquarters), American Legacy Foundation, AstraZeneca, Edelman, Enzon Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, Jenner & Block, Johnson & Johnson, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Novartis, OSI Pharmaceuticals, Quintiles Transnational and SAS Institute.

To earn the Gold Standard accreditation, a company must establish programs to:

  • reduce cancer risk by discouraging tobacco use and encouraging physical activity, healthy diet and nutrition;
  • detect cancer at its earliest stages; and
  • provide access to quality care, including the availability of clinical trials.

During the CEO Roundtable on Cancer’s annual meeting in New York, 24 member CEOs and additional honored guests heard from a number of distinguished speakers united in the fight against cancer. Coach Mike Krzyzewski, Head Basketball Coach at Duke University, addressed the CEO Roundtable the evening prior to the annual meeting. “Coach K” likened the CEO Roundtable on Cancer to a “dream team” assembled in the fight against cancer.

Other speakers included:

  • Dr. Cheryl Healton, President and CEO, American Legacy Foundation
  • Dr. Gabriel Hortobagyi, President, American Society of Clinical Oncology
  • Dr. Jenelle Krishnamoorthy, U.S. Senator Tom Harkin’s chief health legislative aide
  • The Honorable Ruth Ann Minner, Governor of Delaware
  • Dr. John Niederhuber, Director, National Cancer Institute
  • Dr. Barbara Rimer, Dean, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill
  • Dr. John Seffrin, CEO, American Cancer Society
  • Joel Siegel, ABC’s Good Morning America
  • Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, FDA Commissioner

The CEO Roundtable on Cancer also agreed to explore a partnership with the National Cancer Institute to develop common clinical trial standards with the research intensive pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry and, in this way, to hasten the discovery and delivery of novel and improved therapies for cancer patients.

During their annual meeting the CEO Roundtable on Cancer also introduced the organization’s first Executive Director, John N. Dornan, Jr. Dornan previously was employed by SAS Institute, a longtime CEO Roundtable on Cancer member and CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ accredited company. He will spearhead organizational efforts to encourage that many companies, large and small, adopt the CEO Cancer Gold Standard™.

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