BETHLEHEM, Pa., April 4, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OraSure Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:OSUR) is proud to announce that Debra Fraser-Howze, the Company's Senior Vice President of Government and External Affairs, received a 2014 "Top Blacks in Healthcare" Award from BlackDoctor.org in partnership with Johns Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions.
The award honors those who have outstanding achievements in the healthcare field and who are creating a legacy for future pioneers. The list of noteworthy 2014 honorees was selected from among 250 of the most accomplished black healthcare professionals in America by a panel that included BlackDoctor.org editors and key leaders from partner organizations such as the National Medical Association and Johns Hopkins University.
"Throughout her career Debra has advocated tirelessly to address critical issues facing the black community, including HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy and social welfare," said Douglas A. Michels, President and Chief Executive Officer of OraSure Technologies. "We are proud of Debra for receiving this well-deserved award, and we are extremely grateful and fortunate to have her years of leadership and expertise at OraSure Technologies."
"Our program seeks to recognize distinguished African American healthcare executives for their contributions to the industry and serve as a role model to other minority healthcare leaders and the black community overall. Debra more than meets that criteria," said Reggie Ware, President and Chief Executive Officer of BlackDoctor.org.
The awards were presented last evening at an awards dinner, co-hosted by BlackDoctor.org and Johns Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions, at The Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.
About Debra Fraser-Howze
Debra Fraser-Howze is Senior Vice President of Government and External Affairs at OraSure Technologies. Prior to joining OraSure Technologies, Ms. Fraser-Howze founded and served as the President/CEO of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA), currently the largest Black HIV and AIDS non-profit organization of its kind in America. Ms. Fraser-Howze has been widely recognized for more than two decades of global leadership to communities of color regarding teenage pregnancy, social welfare, and HIV and AIDS. She advised two U.S. Presidents while serving on the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS from 1995-2001. Ms. Fraser-Howze is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Hunter College School of Public Health and she is a member of the boards of AIDS United, the AIDS Memorial Fund and Iris House. Ms. Fraser-Howze holds a B.A. in Interpersonal Communications from Hunter College and a Master's degree in Public Administration from Baruch College.
About OraSure Technologies
OraSure Technologies is a leader in the development, manufacture and distribution of oral fluid diagnostic and collection devices and other technologies designed to detect or diagnose critical medical conditions. Its innovative products include rapid tests for the detection of antibodies to HIV and HCV at the point of care and testing solutions for detecting various drugs of abuse. In July 2012, the Company received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the Company's OraQuick® In-Home HIV Test for sale directly to consumers in the over-the-counter (OTC) market - making it the first and only rapid OTC HIV test approved in the U.S. In addition, the Company is a leading provider of oral fluid sample collection, stabilization and preparation products for molecular diagnostic applications. OraSure's portfolio of products is sold globally to various clinical laboratories, hospitals, clinics, community-based organizations and other public health organizations, research and academic institutions, distributors, government agencies, physicians' offices, and commercial and industrial entities. The Company's products enable healthcare providers to deliver critical information to patients, empowering them to make decisions to improve and protect their health.
For more information on OraSure Technologies, please visit www.orasure.com.