Franklin Lakes CEO Valley Wins Trustee of the Year Award

Press release:

The Valley Hospital is pleased to announce that Trustee Vincent Forlenza has been selected as a recipient of the NJHA Hospital and Healthcare System Trustee of the Year award. Forlenza has been a member of the Board of Trustees of The Valley Hospital since 2002, and served as its chairman from 2006 through 2013.

As a trustee and leader, Forlenza is known for his strategic planning, business operations, management skills and his dedication for giving back to the community. Forlenza currently serves as Chairman, CEO and President of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a leading global medical technology company. BD, which was founded in 1897 and is headquartered in Franklin Lakes, develops, manufactures and sells medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. As president, Mr. Forlenza oversees BD’s three business segments – BD Medical, BD Diagnostics and BD Biosciences, as well as the company’s International and Quality functions. Prior to his appointment as BD’s president, Vince’s career at the company, which began in 1980, spanned strategic planning, marketing, management and executive leadership.

A graduate of Lehigh University and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Forlenza is an active community volunteer. He is a member of The Valley Hospital’s Board of Trustees and served as its Chairman for the last seven years. During his tenure as Chairman, Valley established a new Heart and Vascular Institute, launched a comprehensive translational research program and opened the first northern New Jersey Gamma Knife Center. During this time, Valley also developed far-reaching strategic plans for its facilities and created Valley Medical Group, a multispecialty group practice comprising more than 185 doctors and advanced practice professionals representing more than 30 medical and surgical specialties. Valley Medical Group joins The Valley Hospital and Valley Home Care as the three entities that form Valley Health System.

“Vince is an outstanding trustee who has contributed years of service and leadership to this hospital and health system and to the community,” said Audrey Meyers, President and CEO of The Valley Hospital and Valley Health System. “Valley has benefited enormously from John’s 12 years of exemplary leadership.”

Forlenza serves on Lehigh University’s Board of Trustees and is a member of the Advisory Board for Lehigh’s P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. He also is chairman of AdvaMedDx and serves on its board. AdvaMedDx is a division of the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), which focuses solely on in-vitro diagnostic technologies.

As a business leader in the healthcare industry, Forlenza recently was a keynote speaker for the annual Wharton Health Care Business Conference, a leading healthcare business forum for industry professionals, academics and students.

In 2013, The Project HOPE, a global health education and humanitarian assistance organization, awarded Forlenza The Global Health Leadership Award, which recognizes an individual who has championed health issues globally. He was awarded this honor for his support of Project HOPE’s global health initiatives and disaster relief work, which has helped strengthen underserved communities and health systems across the developing world.

In addition, Forlenza has been recognized as an honoree by Autism Speaks, the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.

Forlenza’s award was presented during NJHA’s 96th Annual Meeting at the Hyatt Regency Princeton. The program included the presentation of the Healthcare Leader awards, which recognize the distinguished service of healthcare executives, trustees and clinicians, along with the Excellence in Quality Improvement Awards. The New Jersey Hospital Association, the state’s oldest and largest healthcare trade association, holds its annual awards program to honor several individuals and organizations for their commitment to the state’s healthcare system and the patients and communities they serve.