John Damonti is the President of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation and the Patient Assistance Foundation funded by the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, a global bio-pharmaceutical Company. John has more than 30 years of experience working in the areas of health policy, government affairs and social responsibility. The mission of the BMS Foundation is to seek innovative approaches to reducing health disparities by strengthening community-based healthcare worker capacity, medical care and community-based supportive services, and by mobilizing communities to fight disease. John began his career as Manager of Community and Government Relations for Mutual of New York. He was also Director of the Primerica Foundation (now part of Citigroup) and before joining Bristol-Myers Squibb served as Director of State Government Relations for Ciba-Geigy Corporation (now Novartis). In addition to his professional accomplishments, he is a member of the Board of the New Academy of Medicine where he is also a Fellow and the advisory boards of Seed of Africa and NOMI Network. John received his Master’s in Social Work Policy from Fordham University and has also been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from Fordham University and the Baylor College of Medicine.