WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 26, 2022)— The National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) announced Secretary Xavier Becerra—the 25th Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the first Latino to hold the office in the history of the United States—will receive its 2022 John Lewis Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes healthcare public policy leaders who have helped to decrease health disparities and build sustainable healthy communities.

Throughout his career, Secretary Becerra has made it his priority to ensure that Americans have access to the affordable healthcare they need to survive and thrive—from his early days as a legal advocate representing individuals with mental illness, as a member of Congress fighting to pass the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and as the Attorney General of the state of California defending the ACA and patient’s rights.

“We could not think of anyone more deserving of this honor,” said Dr. Gary Puckrein, President and CEO of the National Minority Quality Forum. “The NMQF Honorable John Lewis Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes leaders who have helped to improve the landscape in healthcare disparities. Secretary Becerra deserves this honor for his exemplary leadership in protecting the people he serves.”

“John Lewis spent his life causing good trouble, to make a difference in people’s lives and make our union a little more perfect,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “I hope receiving this award means I’ve caused at least some good trouble in my career and made John Lewis proud. At HHS, from improving child and family wellbeing, to strengthening reproductive health care, to protecting LGBTQI communities from discrimination, I’ll continue to fight for what’s right across our department—taking action, centering equity in everything we do, and honoring the legacy of John Lewis.”

Secretary Becerra will be honored at NMQF’s 20th Annual Leadership Summit on Health Disparities and Health Braintrust April 25-26, 2022, at The Watergate Hotel. Past honorees include the Honorable John Lewis, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Vice President Joe Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and the late Kaiser President and CEO, Bernard J. Tyson.

To learn more, visit https://www.nmqf.org/nmqf-events/2022annualsummit.

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Media Contact
Kelly Ann Collins
(202) 413-1187
kcollins@nmqf.org

About the Summit
In 2003, the National Minority Quality Forum established the Annual Leadership Summit on Health Disparities. This annual event aims to assist healthcare providers, professionals, administrators, researchers, policy makers, community and faith-based organizations in delivering quality care to diverse populations. With nearly 1,000 attendees annually, the Summit has educated thousands of health leaders.



About National Minority Quality Forum
The National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research and advocacy organization based in Washington, DC. The mission of NMQF is to reduce patient risk by assuring optimal care for all. NMQF’s vision is an American health services research, delivery and financing system whose operating principle is to reduce patient risk for amenable morbidity and mortality while improving quality of life. For more information, please visit www.nmqf.org.