It was a fond farewell for Dr. Richard Wainerdi at Hotel ZaZa as he prepares to retire from his post of 28 years as president and CEO of the Texas Medical Center. The hotel ballroom was filled to capacity with TMC leadership, friends and family.
The man of the hour was saluted at The Health Museum Gala for leadership that saw the medical center grow to include 52 member institutions, employ 97,000 people and serve more than six million patients annually.
The heavy-hitter crowd was as impressive as the event itself. TMC leaders included Baylor College of Medicine president Dr. Paul Klotman, Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center president and CEO Brian Gannon, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center president Dr. Ron DePinho, Memorial Hermann — Texas Medical Center CEO Craig Cordola, Children’s Memorial Hermann CEO Susie DiStefano, Methodist Hospital System CEO Dr. Marc Boom, Texas Children’s Hospital CEO Mark Wallace, UTHealth interim president Dr. Giuseppe Colasurdo and Harris County Medical Society president Dr. Russ Kridel.
In an appropriate musical turn, the Texas Medical Center Orchestra performed classical music while guests dined.
Leading the dinner program were Karen Tellepsen, vice chair of The Health Museum board, and keynote speaker Dr. Kenneth L. Mattox, chief of staff at Ben Taub General Hospital.
The event, chaired by Sue Trammell Whitfield, June and Dr. Ken Mattox and Carolyn and Dr. Carlos Hamilton, raised more than $275,000 for museum programs and exhibits. And that was happy news for museum president and CEO Jon Iszard.
