Whittier Street Health Center to Honor Vertex Pharmaceutical Executive Chairman Jeffrey Leiden at its 2024 Annual Toast

Whittier’s Annual Toast Fundraiser on April 3rd, 2024 Will Support Health and Social Services to support BIPOC and Underserved Patients!

Whittier’s 2024 “Toast of Jeffrey Leiden” will continue the health center’s long tradition of shining a light on Boston’s standout business leaders and philanthropists while raising critical funds to provide high-quality medical care and social services to patients regardless of their ability to pay for services.

Dr. Leiden served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from 2012 to 2020, and currently serves as Executive Chairman of the Board. During his tenure as President and CEO of Vertex he attained a variety of accomplishments including: establishing a collaboration between Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics, building a robust pipeline of drug candidates in specialty markets and spearheading the development and launch of drugs to treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis. Dr. Leiden is a compassionate physician and scientist who has dedicated his career to improving the lives of people with serious diseases.

WCVB Channel 5 “CityLine” host and executive producer Karen Holmes Ward will emcee the event, which will feature live entertainment by Anima. Members of the public are invited to attend.

When: Wednesday, April 3, 2024, 5:30–9:00 p.m.

Where: Hilton Boston Park Plaza Hotel, 50 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116

Click here to purchase a ticket: https://www.wshc.org/event/toast-of-jeffrey-leiden-m-d-ph-d-executive-chairman-vertex/

Speakers include John Fish, Chairman & CEO, Suffolk Construction, Joe Nolan, Chairman, President & CEO, Eversource Energy, Dr. Reshma Kewalramani, President, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Betsy Nabel and Dr. Gary Nabel of ModeX Therapeutics, Dr. Joan Reede, Dean of for Diversity and Community Partnerships, Harvard Medical School, Paul Burton, Journalist, Channel 4 (Boston), Former Congressman Joe Kennedy, and Dr. Sangeeta N. Bhatia, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research.

To learn more about WSHC's work, please visit our website.



About Whittier Street Health Center

Whittier Street Health Center is an independently licensed community health care center with a mission of providing high quality, reliable and accessible primary healthcare for diverse populations while promoting wellness and eliminating health and social disparities. A champion of equitable access to high quality, patient-focused care, social justice and economic equity, Whittier Street Health Center is accredited by The Joint Commission (TJC), certified by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as a Patient-Centered Medical Home, and recognized by the NCQA for its Behavioral Health Integration. Through its locations in Roxbury and North Dorchester, and its Mobile Health Van program, Whittier Street Health Center serves more than 30,000 patients and 20,000 community outreach visits annually; its ethnically and racially diverse patient base is primarily made up of individuals from Roxbury, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, the South End and greater Boston. Approximately 28% of Whittier’s patients are uninsured. Whittier Street Health Center provides a comprehensive array of 40 healthcare programs and services designed to meet the primary health care, behavioral health, and social needs of the community. For more information, please visit www.wshc.org as well as Facebook: (www.facebook.com/WhittierStreetHealthCenter), Instagram: (@Whittier_Street_Health_Center), Twitter: (@Whittier_Boston), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/whittier-street-health-center), or call 617-989-3119