Joint Commission awards Pollack inaugural Lifetime Service Award

Joint Commission announced Sept. 30 that Joint Commission announced today that AHA President and CEO Emeritus Rick Pollack received its inaugural Lifetime Service Award, which honors individuals whose careers have advanced healthcare quality, safety and excellence in patient care through sustained leadership, innovation and service. Pollack served 43 years at the AHA, including as president and CEO for more than a decade. He will be presented the award during Joint Commission’s UNIFY 2026: Convening for Quality conference.

Joint Commission highlighted Pollack’s efforts to strengthen hospitals and health systems, expand access to care, advance patient safety and support the healthcare workforce. The organization also noted his work to improve healthcare cybersecurity preparedness and his role in advancing Joint Commission and the AHA’s Cyber Resilience Readiness program, an initiative designed to help hospitals and health systems assess and strengthen their ability to sustain safe clinical operations during cyber-related technology outages.

“I am honored to receive Joint Commission’s Lifetime Service Award,” said Pollack. “This recognition is a testament to the healthcare leaders, caregivers and advocates who work every day to make care safer, better and more accessible for every patient and every community. AHA’s decades-long commitment to quality and patient safety builds on the leadership of my predecessors, making this an honor I share with them. I have been privileged to spend my career at the AHA standing alongside extraordinary people and organizations united by a powerful mission: to improve health and change lives.