So I have known Elias, who is sitting on my left with his Distinguished Service Award. So then the next level is a lifetime achievement. He's not there yet, so he still has to work harder to get it. So I've known Elias for almost more than 20 years, and in this business, I can call it a business that's long enough to know who someone really is, and I can tell you he's exactly what you think he is, only better than that. So thank you, you know, being with us. You have got, you know, whether you are in NIH or Sanofi and Aventis, you have seen how he has driven the policy. Even today when we talk, he says he's still passionate that we need to get things done at NIH. We need money, we need funding, we need to fund the basic science, and he understands, you know, for the next generation of leaders to come in science, US, we need to invest in basic science. This is what I understood. China is great, it doesn't matter where innovation comes, but I think in US it will remain the powerhouse of basic innovation, and we need to fund our academic research and the NIH funding. So thank you for what you do in DC, and you're spending a lot of time on that. Now I will invite Betsy. Three minutes.
Well, thank you very much. Since I'm the first to pay a tribute, I might go over my three minutes with a little bit of grace here. But Elias, it's truly an honor to join you today in paying tribute to you. For those of you in the audience who haven't read Elias's book, which came out this year, Disease Knows No Politics, I highly recommend it to you. Elias may even autograph it for you, but he tells his remarkable life story of growing up in Algeria and his family's experiences, medical school in Algeria, coming to the United States, his family's escape from the OAS, and then his remarkable story here in the United States, from academics at Johns Hopkins to the NIH, to consulting. You even did a radiology startup in an interlude in the Hopkins years, to consulting, Sanofi, and I'm sure, Elias, there'll be many more chapters ahead. As I thought about what to say, I also thought about what would I like to say to Nadia and Yasmine. Nadia, Elias's wife, and Yasmine, his daughter, are both physicians, and I know that Elias has had great pride in promoting women physicians in this country. So I consider myself extraordinarily fortunate to have known Elias now for 25 years as my mentor, my friend, and yes, as Gary will tell you later, the very best boss I ever had. And I'll say in parentheses, my second best boss was Gene Braunwald. So I put the two of you in a very high esteemed camp. I first met Elias when he arrived at the NIH as director, bringing with him a reputation as a visionary and brilliant leader. He not only lived up to that promise, but he exceeded it. His vision at the NIH was extraordinary. He built deep trust across Congress, working seamlessly across the aisle, especially with Ted Kennedy, Arlen Specter, and Tom Harkin. Think about it. Working seamlessly across the aisle. We don't know those words anymore, unfortunately. And you were a highly respected advisor to President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney on a number of initiatives like PEPFAR and others. Cabinet leaders, especially your Secretaries of HHS, Tommy Thompson. He was fun, wasn't he? And Mike Leavitt, who was outstanding as well, sought your counsel, not only for your insight, but because they trusted your judgment and your integrity. You brought very bold vision to the NIH. Elias understood that to sustain leadership in science, we needed to innovate and evolve, themes we've been talking about today. With remarkable clarity, Elias cut through complexity and reshaped the NIH. He did transform the NIH during your era to support the most innovative science and the most talented investigators. George, you would have liked being at the NIH then. Programs like the NIH Roadmap, the Pioneer Awards, and the Clinical and Translational Science Awards continue to shape biomedical research today. But what I remember most is not just what you accomplished, it's how you led. When I became director of the NHLBI, Elias created an environment where I could think, grow, and solve problems. Every conversation with you was thoughtful, constructive, and grounded in a deep sense of what is right and what is fair. You believed in meritocracy, not as an abstract ideal, but as a lived principle. You didn't care about background or circumstance, what the color of someone's skin was, or what gender they were. What mattered most was the vision, your vision, your leadership, and your commitment to making a difference. You believed and you lived in meritocracy every day. That meant a great deal to me. For many women in my generation, the path in medicine was not always easy. There were obstacles, somewhat deliberate obstacles put in our way. But you didn't put barriers in my way. You removed them. You created opportunities. You helped others succeed. Others' success was your success. And so you did that with great humility and humanity and even a sense of fun. And I'll finish by telling you a really fun story. At the NHLBI, we created the Red Dress Campaign to raise awareness about the risk of heart disease in women. And at the time, it really was not known that heart disease is the major killer of women in this country. So we engaged a PR firm who created the red dress as a symbol of women and heart disease. It's a symbol that all women can relate to. So we had an event at the Kennedy Center organized with First Ladies Laura Bush and Nancy Reagan, who were our champions at that time. And I invited Elias to come, and I gave him a red jacket to wear, and he came. It was wonderful. But he was the only man in his red jacket in a room full of women, medical leaders, all wearing red dresses.
And he was the only guy. But he championed awareness of heart disease in women. But you embraced the moment fully. I think you actually had a good time.
I then understood what it is to be a woman in a men's world.
But you also understood the importance of mission and the power of inclusion. So today, Elias and Nadia are our dear close friends. We share a belief that science guided by purpose and compassion can contribute to changing lives. So Elias, thank you for your leadership, your integrity, your friendship, and for all you've done to advance science and improve human health for people across the world. Thank you.
Of course, I was going to go back to your... Thank you. Rainer.
Well, good afternoon, everybody. It's a pleasure to be here. Rainer Blair from Danaher. How many of you have heard of Danaher? Quite a bit. If that's the case, it's probably because of Dr. Elias Zerhouni right there. And we love humor. Andy, just imagine if he had had to wear a red dress and said, 'You were very kind, Betsy.' That was a wonderful thing. And Karun, thank you for inviting us. Really appreciate being here to honor somebody who's very important to Danaher, but also to me personally here. So it really is a privilege to stand before you tonight or this afternoon to honor someone whose life's work has helped redefine how science serves humanity and how leadership shapes lasting impact. I like the formality when I say Dr. Elias has been a member of Danaher's board since 2009. Since 2009. But titles alone don't capture the depth of his influence. Elias is at his core a physician-scientist who has spent his entire career focused on one enduring mission. And Betsy was just talking about this, turning scientific possibility into better outcomes for patients around the world. From pioneering breakthroughs in medical imaging at Johns Hopkins to leading the National Institutes of Health at a pivotal moment in history, Elias has consistently challenged conventional thinking. He challenges me all day long. As director of the NIH, he launched reforms that broke down silos, accelerated translation from discovery to impact, and strengthened public trust in science. So important. Imagine where we are today. Those choices reshaped not just an institution but the trajectory of biomedical research for decades. So let me speak personally here for just a moment. In my time as CEO, I've experienced countless times the impact that Elias has on Danaher in board conversations, strategy discussions, and moments of real complexity. Elias has a unique way of asking the question that truly matters, that one question. He brings clarity without ego, rigor without dogma, and always pulls us back to what creates the greatest long-term value for patients and customers. That influence has been especially visible in one of the most consequential decisions that Danaher has made in its history: our journey to become a pure-play healthcare company. You know, we used to be a diversified industrial conglomerate. Today, we are a healthcare company. Elias played a significant role in helping shape that direction, grounding the discussion in science, patient impact, and the belief that Danaher could create even greater value by fully committing its capabilities, our culture, and our operating system, DBS, to life sciences and diagnostics. And that perspective helped give us conviction, not just confidence. And think about that transformation. We've created three additional public companies. We spun off Fortive. We spun off Envidian. We spun off Veralto together. And then we reinvested $70 billion in building out the portfolio that we have today, which is focused only on one thing, and that's to deliver science and technology to improve human health. And you were in the middle of all of that. So at Danaher, we talk about moving from discovery to delivery fast. And Andy was talking about speed today emphatically. We believe in speed, and Elias embodies that idea. His career spans academia, government, and industry. And in each chapter, his focus has remained the same: advancing science in ways that matter in the real world. His guidance has strengthened our ambition, sharpened our strategic choices, and reminded us why our work matters. And we heard that on a number of panels today. It's so important. If it's not us, who's it going to be? It's got to be us, Elias leading the way. So on behalf of the board, Elias, the leadership team of Danaher, and the entire Danaher organization, thank you. Thank you for your extraordinary service, your wisdom, and your enduring commitment to advance human health. We are deeply grateful and better for having you as a colleague, a counselor, and a friend. Thank you.
