Pfizer Chairman & CEO Dr. Albert Bourla Joins The Museum Of Jewish Heritage To Discuss His Life, Legacy & More

The Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust will host a live program highlighting the life and work of Pfizer Chairman & CEO Dr. Albert Bourla on February 18, 2021 at 9:00 AM (ET). In this live virtual program, former longtime Radiolab host Robert Krulwich will talk with Dr. Bourla about his Greek Jewish ancestry as the son of Holocaust survivors, and how these legacies have informed his work.

"We are deeply grateful for the work of Dr. Bourla and his team in developing the COVID-19 vaccine that is putting us on the path toward ending this devastating pandemic. I am honored that Dr. Bourla will share his personal and professional stories with us," said Jack Kliger, President and CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust.

As the Chairman & CEO of Pfizer Inc., Dr. Bourla oversaw the development of the first COVID-19 vaccine to be authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Commission and several other regulatory bodies around the world, a momentous achievement capping off his career or more than two and a half decades with the biopharmaceutical company.

Albert began his Pfizer career in 1993 in the Animal Health Division as Technical Director of Greece and eventually moved into the human health side of the business in 2010. After leading some of Pfizer's largest business units, he stepped into the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) in January 2018., He became Pfizer's Chief Executive Officer in January 2019 and added the responsibility of Chairman in January 2020.

Dr. Bourla was born in Thessaloniki, Greece to a family with deep roots in the city's Sephardic Jewish community. His parents were among the few in the city to survive the Holocaust. Dr. Bourla now resides in New York and remains deeply connected to his family's Jewish heritage and Holocaust experience.

He serves on the boards of Pfizer, the Pfizer Foundation, Catalyst and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, is on the executive committee for the Partnership for New York City, and is a Trustee of the United States Council for International Business. He also is a member of The Business Council and the Business Roundtable.

Robert Krulwich, science and technology journalist and former longtime host of the double Peabody Award winning show Radiolab, will join Dr. Bourla for a live discussion on his life and legacy.

The conversation with Dr. Bourla is part of the Museum's new series, "Legacies," which will highlight notable figures with a connection to Jewish heritage, identity and the Holocaust. The event will stream live on Zoom, and is free with a suggested $10 donation. To view the event, register here.

About the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust

The Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is New York's contribution to the global responsibility to never forget. The Museum is committed to the crucial mission of educating diverse visitors about Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust. The third largest Holocaust museum in the world and the second largest in North America, the Museum of Jewish Heritage anchors the southernmost tip of Manhattan, completing the cultural and educational landscape it shares with the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage maintains a collection of almost 40,000 artifacts, photographs, documentary films, and survivor testimonies and contains classrooms, a 375-seat theater (Edmond J. Safra Hall), special exhibition galleries, a resource center for educators, and a memorial art installation, Garden of Stones, designed by internationally acclaimed sculptor Andy Goldsworthy. The Museum is the home of National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene.

Currently on view is the acclaimed exhibition Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. This is the most comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the history of Auschwitz and its role in the Holocaust ever presented in North America, bringing together more than 700 original objects and 400 photographs from over 20 institutions and museums around the world.

Also on view are Ordinary Treasures: Highlights from the Museum of Jewish Heritage Collection and Rendering Witness: Holocaust-Era Art as Testimony.

The Museum receives general operating support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts.

For more information, visit mjhnyc.org.