Roche’s Vidal Honored as 2008 HBA Rising Star

Roche announced today that Sarah Vidal, M.P.H., product director, Rheumatoid Arthritis Marketing at Roche, was honored as a 2008 Rising Star by the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) at the organization’s annual awards luncheon on May 8, 2008 in New York City.

“Sarah has made significant contributions at Roche. Her combination of confidence, energy, experience, contagious enthusiasm and respect for others is what truly makes her a Rising Star,” said Richard Hinson, vice president, Commercial Operations.

“We are extremely proud of Sarah. We applaud her for joining the other Roche women who have received this prestigious award. They inspire those around them and contribute tremendously to the success of our company,” added George Abercrombie, president and CEO of Hoffmann-La Roche Inc.

Vidal is product director on Roche’s Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Marketing team, which is currently working on bringing a new RA medicine to market. She joined Roche in 2000 as a market analyst and held positions of increasing responsibility. Before Roche, she worked in various areas of healthcare, including management consulting, managed care quality improvement and diagnostics market research. She holds a Masters of Public Health degree in Health Management from Yale University and a B.S. in biology from Brown University.

“I feel very fortunate to be able to do work that so directly and positively impacts patients, and I’m deeply honored to be recognized for my work in this way, especially since others who have received the Rising Star award in the past are women I very much look up to and respect,” said Sarah.

The HBA, based in Fairfield, NJ (www.hbanet.org), is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to furthering the advancement of women in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Its Rising Star Award recognizes women whose outstanding accomplishments make a difference in the industry and inspire others.

Past Roche HBA Rising Stars include Suzann Duncan, Product Marketing; Stella Xu, Pharma Partnering; Cathy Geddes, HCV Management; Kathy Presto, Medical Affairs; Lori Martin, Marketing Administration; and Michelle Zupancic, Specialty Business Operations. Carolyn Glynn, vice president, Public Affairs, is a past HBA Woman of the Year.