Wayne Burton, MD, Is First Recipient of New Global Leadership in Corporate Health Award

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL--(Marketwire - October 14, 2009) - Wayne Burton, MD, is the first-ever recipient of the Global Leadership in Corporate Health Award, recognizing his long career as a proponent of workplace health and wellness.

The award, sponsored by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) and the National Business Group on Health (Business Group), honors the achievements of individuals who demonstrate excellence and leadership in implementing programs that improve the health and productivity of the workforce. The award was presented today at the Business Group's 23rd National Conference on Health, Productivity, and Human Capital held in Philadelphia.

Dr. Burton was recognized for his many contributions as a leader and researcher within the emerging field of health and productivity management, where he is regarded as one of the nation's most prominent experts. He recently retired from JP Morgan Chase after many years serving the company as corporate medical director.

"No one has done more to advance new ideas about health and productivity than Wayne Burton," said Barry Eisenberg, CAE, Executive Director of ACOEM. "He is a true visionary whose dedication to his profession has helped create healthier workplaces and benefited both the nation's workers and the companies who employ them."

"Wayne Burton's pioneer work in the field of health and productivity management has enabled employers to measure, manage and significantly improve workers' health and the return on employers' investments in human capital," said Helen Darling, President of the National Business Group on Health. "We now know that such interventions improve function, reduce disability, increase productivity, reduce cost to the company and strengthen the commitment of workers to the corporation."

At JP Morgan Chase, Dr. Burton was responsible for managing worksite occupational health services at 20 major locations in the United States and Canada, and managing corporate health initiatives and wellness/ disease management programs. In addition, he has been active with a variety of professional organizations and has written numerous articles and published more than 80 papers in peer-reviewed medical journals.

He has been the recipient of many awards, including the March of Dimes Jonas Salk Award for Health Management and the Innovation Award from the National Mental Health Association.

Dr. Burton is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the American College of Physicians and the Institute of Medicine of Chicago. He is Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine Northwestern University in Chicago and Adjunct Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago.

He is a member of several advisory boards and on the editorial board of the "Journal of Population Health" and the "Journal of Health and Productivity." He is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Business Group on Health, past Chairman of the Board of the Midwest Business Group on Health and has been a member of several advisory boards.

He received his BA from the University of California at Santa Barbara, his MD from the University of Oregon Medical School, and completed his internal medicine residency and was Chief Medical Resident at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

Nominations for the 2010 Global Leadership in Corporate Health Award are open. For nomination forms or to learn more about the award, visit www.acoem.org/global. For more information, call 847-818-1800.

About ACOEM

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) represents nearly 5,000 physicians specializing in occupational and environmental medicine. Founded in 1916, ACOEM is the nation's largest medical society dedicated to promoting the health of workers through preventive medicine, clinical care, disability management, research, and education. For more information, visit www.acoem.org.

About the National Business Group on Health

The National Business Group on Health is the nation's only non-profit organization devoted exclusively to representing large employers' perspective on national health policy issues and providing practical solutions to its members' most important health care problems. The Business Group helps drive today's health agenda while promoting ideas for controlling health care costs, improving patient safety and quality of care and sharing best practices in health benefits management with senior benefits, HR professionals, and medical directors from leading corporations. For more information, visit www.businessgrouphealth.org.

Contact Information: Contact: Stacy Hodgins 518-451-9031 Hodgins@businessgrouphealth.org