Nancy A. Aossey has been honored with the prestigious UCSF Medal, in recognition of her nearly 25 years as President & CEO of the Los Angeles-based humanitarian organization, International Medical Corps. UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann presented Aossey with the 2010 award at a ceremony in San Francisco last week.
Initiated in 1975, the UCSF medal, the institution’s highest honor, recognizes individuals who have made outstanding personal contributions in health science.
“Nancy Aossey’s leadership of International Medical Corps has helped save millions of lives in some of the world’s toughest environments. Her work bringing health care and training programs to devastated communities exemplifies the passionate dedication that is the hallmark of UCSF’s mission,” said Desmond-Hellmann.
“I am tremendously honored to be receiving the UCSF Medal,” said Aossey. “I believe it recognizes both my work with International Medical Corps, as well as the tireless efforts of all of our courageous doctors, nurses and health workers who have dedicated themselves to relieving the suffering of the world’s most vulnerable people.”
Aossey joined International Medical Corps as its startup CEO in 1986, two years after it was founded with its first program in Afghanistan. Since then, the organization has delivered more than $1 billion in assistance and health services to tens of millions of people in more than 50 countries throughout Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and the Middle East.
In addition to Aossey, the other recipients of this year’s UCSF Medal are: Dr. Nancy C. Andreasen of the University of Iowa; Dr. Melvin Grumbach of UCSF; and Herbert “Herb” Sandler and Marion O. Sandler, founders of the Golden West Financial Corporation and the Sandler Foundation.