Healthcare Businesswomen's Association Announces 2010 Board of Directors

Susan Torroella, COO, MEDEX Global Group, Elected 2010 President of the HBA

FAIRFIELD, N.J., Jan. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An ambitious leadership agenda and commitment to furthering the advancement and impact of women leaders in healthcare worldwide have propelled the HBA to over 5,200 members across 14 chapters in the U.S. and Europe.  Newly inaugurated HBA president Susan Torroella, and the new 2010 Board of Directors, will continue to chart new directions in the advancement of women in healthcare.  Susan notes, "My goal is to continue expanding the experiential leadership opportunities available to HBA members, just as these opportunities were made available to me and helped shape me into the leader I am today -- as both a senior executive of a global corporation and the President of the HBA."

Since its inception 33 years ago, the HBA has become the number one women's leadership organization in the healthcare industry, dedicated to recognizing outstanding women in the healthcare industry, providing educational opportunities for its members to develop cutting-edge industry knowledge and leadership skills, creating greater visibility for individuals in the industry through networking, and fostering mentoring opportunities.  The HBA also performs groundbreaking research on career advancement issues such as the E.D.G.E. in Leadership study, the first to benchmark women's progression in leadership roles in the healthcare industry.  In 2009, the HBA received the Best in Leadership Development award from Leadership Excellence magazine. Chosen from among 1,000 organizations, the HBA was recognized as having one of the nation's 100 Top Leadership Development Programs.

The Board of Directors for the HBA will meet January 28 for a kick-off strategic planning retreat with the new board members coming together for the first time.  The 18-member HBA Board will be led by a seven-member Executive Committee:

1. President: Susan Torroella, COO, MEDEX Global Group
2. President-Elect: Lori Ryan, Executive Director, Alliance Development, Novartis
3. First Vice President: Deborah Seltzer, Vice President, Pearson Partners International
4. Second Vice President: Buket E. Grau, Strategic Marketing Director, Stryker Development
5. Treasurer: Revathi Rammohan, Head of Finance, North America, Novartis Oncology
6. Secretary: Sheryl Williams, Vice President, Corporate & Public Affairs, Cephalon, Inc.
7. Immediate Past President: Ceci Zak, Vice President, General Therapeutics Marketing, sanofi-aventis.

Members of the HBA board are representative of the HBA's diverse membership, which represents all aspects of the healthcare industry, from pharmaceutical and medical device companies to patient advocacy groups, healthcare communications and consulting firms across the U.S. and Europe.  

In addition to the Executive Committee, the 2010 HBA Directors-at-Large are:

1. Violet Aldaia, Executive Vice President, BrandEdge Global
2. Janis Cohen, EVP, Managing Director, Science & Medicine
3. Yvonne D'Amelio, CFO, Vox Medica
4. Eve Dryer, Principal & President, Vox Medica Health Care Public Relations
5. Elizabeth Everett, Ph.D., VP Business Consulting & Technology Services, SAIC
6. Sheryl Fox, President North America, The Planning Shop International
7. Ilyssa Levins, President, Center for Communication Compliance (CCC)
8. Terri Pascarelli, Pharmaceuticals LPCV Sales Strategy and Alliance Director, AstraZeneca
9. Barbara Pritchard, President, The Pritchard Group/Intermedica, Inc.
10. Wendy White, Founder and President, Siren Interactive Corporation
11. Jeanne Zucker, SVP, Strategic Business Development, InfoMedics, Inc.

Election of the 2010 slate of Officers and Directors-at-Large took place at the HBA's Annual Business Meeting, during the two-day annual HBA Leadership Conference in San Francisco, CA.

About the HBA

The Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA; www.hbanet.org) is in its fourth decade as a global not-for-profit organization dedicated to furthering the advancement of women in healthcare worldwide.  With 14 chapters and affiliates throughout the U.S. and in Europe, the HBA is headquartered in New Jersey with offices in Philadelphia and Research Triangle Park.  The HBA provides educational opportunities for women and men to develop cutting-edge healthcare industry knowledge and leadership skills; recognizes outstanding women and men in the industry; provides opportunities for networking; creates greater visibility for women in the industry; fosters mentoring relationships and serves as a conduit and sponsor for research on career advancement issues.  HBA has over 5,000 individual members and over 130 Corporate Partners.  It is widely recognized as the catalyst for leadership development of women in healthcare worldwide. For more information, visit www.hbanet.org.

SOURCE Healthcare Businesswomen's Association