Meet our Awardees
Each awardee will receive distinguished recognition from NMF for either their personal contributions or on the behalf of their company's unwavering support of NMF.
Vanessa Broadhurst, Executive Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs, Johnson & Johnson
Vanessa Broadhurst is Executive Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs of Johnson & Johnson and a member of the Company’s Executive Committee. Vanessa leads the Corporation’s global marketing, communication, design and philanthropy functions, in addition to oversight of J&J Health & Wellness Solutions.
Prior to her appointment to the Executive Committee in 2022, Vanessa was Company Group Chairman, Global Commercial Strategy for Pharmaceuticals. In that role, she led a team focused on commercialization and launch strategies across Janssen’s broad pipeline of products spanning six therapeutic areas. Additionally, she had oversight of global value and access, global commercial data sciences, and global medical affairs across the portfolio of pharmaceutical products. She was a member of the Pharmaceuticals Group Operating Committee and the Research and Development Senior Leadership Team.
Prior to her role as Company Group Chairman, Vanessa led several multibillion-dollar US businesses at Janssen including Cardiovascular and Metabolism, Internal Medicine, and Infectious Disease. Consistently delivering bottom line growth through these leadership positions, she contributed to growing Janssen to one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.
Vanessa originally joined Johnson & Johnson to lead global commercial strategy for Anemia and Oncology Supportive Care for the pharmaceutical group in 2005. Vanessa is widely respected for her strategic insight and market acumen, as well as her commitment to talent development in the healthcare industry. She has a strong track record of championing diversity, equity and inclusion.
A seasoned business leader who has worked in the US and Europe, Vanessa previously held senior leadership roles at Amgen, Novartis and Abbott, leading product launches for patients with bone disease, dyslipidemia, heart failure, irritable bowel disease, respiratory diseases, epilepsy, and migraine.
Externally, Vanessa serves as a member of the Board of Directors at Zoetis, the largest global animal health company which is committed to nurturing the world and humankind by advancing care for animals. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Ad Council, a nonprofit organization, and is a member of The Executive Leadership Council (ELC). Within Johnson & Johnson, Vanessa is the executive sponsor for the African Ancestry Leadership Council (AALC).
Vanessa was named one of the “2022 Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America” by SAVOY magazine. Vanessa has also been recognized as “Healthcare Champion of the Year” by the National Association for Female Executives, and “Top Blacks in Healthcare” by Blackdoctors.org.
Vanessa received a Master of Business Administration from the Ross School of Business at University of Michigan where she was a Consortium Fellow, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
NMF Corporate Imagineer Award presented to
Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD, FACOG, President and Chief Executive Officer, Morehouse School of Medicine
Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD, FACOG, provides a valuable combination of experience at the highest levels of patient care and medical research, as well as organizational management and public health policy. Marrying her transformational leadership acumen and strategic thinking to tackle challenging management issues, she has a track record of redesigning complex organizations’ infrastructures to reflect the needs of evolving strategic environments and position the organization for success through sustainability tactics.
The sixth president of Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) and the first woman to lead the freestanding medical institution, Montgomery Rice serves as both the president and CEO. A renowned infertility specialist and researcher, she most recently served as dean and executive vice president of MSM, where she has served since 2011.
Prior to joining MSM, Montgomery Rice held faculty positions and leadership roles at various health centers, including academic health centers. Most notably, she was the founding director of the Center for Women’s Health Research at Meharry Medical College, one of the nation’s first research centers devoted to studying diseases that disproportionately impact women of color.
Dedicated to the creation and advancement of health equity, Montgomery Rice lends her vast experience and talents to programs that enhance pipeline opportunities for academically diverse learners, diversifies the physician and scientific workforce, and fosters equity in health care access and health outcomes. To this end, she holds memberships in various organizations and participates on a number of boards, such as the following: member, National Academy of Medicine, the Association of American Medical Colleges Council of Deans, and the Horatio Alger Association and board of directors for The Metro Atlanta Chamber, Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine, The Nemours Foundation, UnitedHealth Group, Westside Future Fund, Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, Headspace, Wellpath and CARE.
Montgomery Rice has received numerous accolades and honors. She was named to the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans and received the 2017 Horatio Alger Award. For three consecutive years (2016-2018) Georgia Trend Magazine selected Montgomery Rice as one of the 100 Most Influential Georgians. Other honors include the following: The Dean Griffin Community Service Award from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Girls Inc. 2019 Smart Award, The National Medical Association OB/GYN 2019 Legend of the Section Award, The Turknett Leadership Character Award (2018), Visions of Excellence Award, Atlanta Business League (2018), Links Incorporated Co-Founders Award (2018), Trumpet Vanguard Award (2015), The Dorothy I. Height Crystal Stair Award (2014), National Coalition of 100 Black Women - Women of Impact (2014), YWCA – Women of Achievement of Atlanta-(2014) and Nashville(2007), American Medical Women’s Association Elizabeth Blackwell Medal (2011) and Working Mother Media Multicultural Women’s Legacy Award (2011).
A Georgia native, Montgomery Rice holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology, a medical degree from Harvard Medical School, an honorary degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and a Doctor of Humane Letters honorary degree from Rush University. All reflect her lifetime commitment to education, service, and the advancement of health equity. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Emory University School of Medicine and her fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Hutzel Hospital.
Recipient of the NMF National Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award
Carmen Villar, Vice President of Social Business Innovation, Merck
Carmen Villar is the Vice President of Social Business Innovation at Merck & Co. In this role, Carmen works across the company to elevate the intersection of social and business impact, while striving to create sustainable health systems to support improved health and well-being globally.
Prior to joining Merck, Carmen was Chief of Staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Carmen led the agency through both the West African Ebola and the Zika emergency responses. Her leadership was critical in providing coordination across the agency and with other US government counterparts and earned her the honor of the Presidential Meritorious Rank Award. She worked in both Nigeria and Zambia, providing leadership and oversight to CDC’s programs as part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). As a key health advisor to the US Ambassadors in Nigeria and Zambia, she also provided expert advice in critical public health areas such as Polio and Tuberculosis.
Carmen started in government as a Presidential Management Fellow focusing on policy and program planning for HIV, STD, and TB prevention. Carmen has also overseen multi-site domestic and international HIV research projects in the areas of drug use, prevention of mother to child treatment, and vaccines. Prior to joining the CDC, she was the Policy Affairs Coordinator at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and had also served as a Legislative Aide in the California Assembly.
Carmen holds a Master’s in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley and a Bachelor’s in Anthropology from UC Berkley.
NMF Corporate Innovation Award presented to
Paul Viviano, President & Chief Executive Officer, Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Paul S. Viviano is a health care leader and a prominent national children’s health care advocate. For more than three decades, he has led academic health care systems, nonprofit community health care organizations and for-profit health care services providers that have delivered excellence in clinical care, research and medical education.
Viviano joined Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in late 2015 as President and Chief Executive Officer as well as a member of the Board of Directors and the Foundation Board of Trustees. Founded in 1901, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is the highest-ranked children’s hospital in California and eighth in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. CHLA also operates one of the largest pediatric residency training programs in the country. The Saban Research Institute of CHLA is consistently ranked among the top children’s hospitals for National Institutes of Health funding and is home to more than 350 funded scientists and physician scientists.
Prior to joining CHLA, Viviano served as the Chief Executive Officer of UC San Diego Health System and Associate Vice Chancellor of UC San Diego Health Sciences. There he oversaw the entire $1.7 billion UC San Diego health care enterprise, which included leading-edge medical care; training of medical students, residents and fellows, responsibility for the faculty practice plan and all patient care delivery.
Prior to his work at UCSD, Viviano served as Chair of the Board and CEO of Alliance HealthCare Services—a for-profit, publicly traded organization that is the nation’s largest provider of outpatient diagnostic imaging services and a national leader in delivery of radiation oncology services. Paul continues to serve as a Director for Alliance, chairing the Compensation Committee and the company’s Special Committee.
Viviano also previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of University of Southern California University Hospital and USC/Norris Cancer Hospital. Additionally, Viviano held various hospital and regional chief executive positions for the St. Joseph Health System in Orange, California, including Health System President and Chief Operating Officer.
As part of his efforts in support of child health care, Viviano is actively involved with several state and national organizations committed to protecting and preserving preventative, acute and specialty health care for children. He is the immediate past Board Chair of the California Children’s Hospital Association (CCHA) and continues to serve on the Association’s Board of Directors. He represents the CCHA on the California Hospital Association Board and also serves on the CHA Board Executive Committee.
Viviano also chairs the Public Policy Committee of the national Children’s Hospital Association and is a Board member of Solutions for Patient Safety, the national consortium that sets clinical standards for U.S. children’s hospitals.
In addition, he is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of Loyola Marymount University, the Catholic Jesuit University in Los Angeles, and is President of the UCLA Health Policy and Management Alumni Association.
Viviano is a California native and earned his bachelor’s degrees at the University of California, Santa Barbara, as well as a master’s degree in public administration-public health at the University of California, Los Angeles. He and his wife, Carole, have two daughters and four grandchildren, and reside in Huntington Beach, CA.
Recipient of the NMF Visionary Award
Contact Us
Gina Lee Gossett at gleegossett@nmfonline.org and Valerie Zapanta at vzapanta@nmfonline.org are happy to answer any inquiries.