Cardinal Health Names Dr. James J. Mongan to Board of Directors

DUBLIN, Ohio, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cardinal Health today announced that James J. Mongan, M.D. has joined the company's board of directors, effective immediately, and will serve on the board's audit committee.

Mongan, 67, served as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Boston-based Partners HealthCare System, Inc. from 2003 until his retirement in December 2009. Prior to that role, Mongan was president and CEO of Massachusetts General Hospital for six years. Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital were the original founders of the Partners HealthCare System.

From 1981 to 1996, Mongan served as the executive director of Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo., and also served as dean of the University of Missouri School of Medicine from 1988 to 1996. Early in his career, Mongan held various positions with the federal government including staff member with the U.S. Senate Finance Committee and associate director of the White House Domestic Policy staff.  

"Jim is well known as a strong and visionary leader with a passion for improving the quality and affordability of health care," said George S. Barrett, chairman and CEO of Cardinal Health. "His broad range of health care experience as a physician, business leader and policy maker will no doubt provide a unique and insightful perspective to Cardinal Health's business strategy."

Mongan is the co-author of the recently published book, Chaos and Organization in Health Care, which offers an optimistic prescription to improve the inefficiencies in the U.S. health care system. He has also received numerous awards and industry recognition, including being named by Modern Healthcare as the #1 most powerful physician executive in 2008. He had been ranked in the top 10 on this list since 2004. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine, chairman of the Commonwealth Fund's Commission on a High Performance Health System and is a past trustee for the board of the American Hospital Association. Mongan also serves as a professor of health care policy and social medicine at Harvard Medical School.

He received both his bachelor's degree and medical degree from Stanford University.

About Cardinal Health

Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) is a Fortune 18 health care services company that improves the cost-effectiveness of health care. As the business behind health care, Cardinal Health helps pharmacies, hospitals and ambulatory care sites focus on patient care while reducing costs, improving efficiency and quality, and increasing profitability. As one of the largest health care companies in the world, Cardinal Health is an essential link in the health care supply chain, providing pharmaceuticals and medical products to more than 40,000 locations each day. The company is also a leading manufacturer of medical and surgical products, including gloves, surgical apparel and fluid management products. In addition, the company supports the growing diagnostic industry by supplying medical products to clinical laboratories and operating the nation's largest network of radiopharmacies that dispense products to aid in the early diagnosis and treatment of disease. Cardinal Health employs more than 30,000 people worldwide. More information about the company may be found at cardinalhealth.com.

SOURCE Cardinal Health, Inc.