Valley Medical Center Foundation to honor Gary Guthart, CEO of Intuitive, for extraordinary leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic
Respected business leader will be recognized at “Tribute to Heroes” annual gala event for his service to Santa Clara County’s public, safety-net healthcare system.
$1 million fundraising drive launched in his honor to support local vital healthcare programs serving Santa Clara County’s most vulnerable residents.
The Valley Medical Center Foundation is proud to announce Gary Guthart, CEO of Intuitive, as the “Tribute to Heroes” Annual Gala 2022 Honoree. As CEO of Intuitive and as a member of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Board of Directors, Guthart was instrumental to an unprecedented effort by local companies to protect healthcare workers during the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sunnyvale-based company and the Intuitive Foundation coordinated a multi-industry effort to source and fabricate personal protective gear (PPE) locally and directly manufactured more than 105,000 face shields for area hospitals. Thanks to his leadership, over 5 million units of PPE were donated to the VMC Foundation, and $20 million was raised to support patient care and vaccinations.
“I want to thank the Valley Medical Center Foundation for this recognition and the opportunity to spotlight its critical role in providing essential healthcare and public health services that are so desperately needed in our community,” said Gary Guthart. “While I appreciate serving as the face of this recognition, the efforts that we recognize today were built on the generosity of Intuitive employees, the vision of Intuitive Foundation President, Dr. Catherine Mohr, and above all, the work of frontline healthcare workers, including our hospital customers and their care teams, who bring life-saving minimally invasive care to their patients.”
Intuitive (Nasdaq: ISRG), headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, is a global technology leader in minimally invasive care and the pioneer of robotic-assisted surgery. As part of our mission, we believe that minimally invasive care is life-enhancing care. Through ingenuity and intelligent technology, we expand the potential of physicians to heal without constraints.
Intuitive brings more than two decades of leadership in robotic-assisted surgical technology and solutions to its offerings and develops, manufactures, and markets da Vinci surgical systems and the Ion endoluminal system.
“Gary gave us the two things we needed most during the first months of the crisis; hope and resources,” said Michael Elliott, President & Executive Director of the VMC Foundation. “He and his team stepped up big time with donations and set the example for all others to follow. We are truly honored to recognize Gary at ‘Tribute to Heroes,’ and hope many others will join us in celebrating his impact.”
Each year, the VMC Foundation recognizes one local leader for their extraordinary impact on the health and safety of Santa Clara County’s most vulnerable residents. The 2022 edition will take place on September 10 at the Hayes Mansion in San Jose, California. The VMC Foundation has launched a $1 million fundraising drive to support vital health programs and local healthcare workers battered by 2+ years of pandemic response in conjunction with the event.
“We believe the best way to honor Gary is to keep pushing our work forward,” said Elliott. “If his leadership has inspired you, we encourage you to make a gift in his honor and celebrate with us on September 10.”
The Valley Medical Center Foundation is an independent community-driven 501c3 nonprofit organization founded to support and protect Silicon Valley’s most vital public healthcare institution – Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Hospital & Clinics. For more information about the event, please contact Julie Surjan (Ott) at julie.ott@hhs.sccgov.org.
