Hepatitis B Foundation Hosts Crystal Ball on April 27, 2012 Honoring Dr. Howard Koh

DOYLESTOWN PA, March 29, 2012 (Press-News.org) The Hepatitis B Foundation of Doylestown, Pa., will host its annual Crystal Ball on Friday, April 27, 2012 at PineCrest Country Club in Lansdale, Pa. The Crystal Ball attracts hundreds of leaders from the community, academic institutions, government, health care industry and biotech executives. All proceeds from the event support the Foundation's global research, outreach and patient advocacy programs.

"This year, the Foundation is proud to honor Dr. Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), with our inaugural Baruch S. Blumberg Prize for his leadership in creating the first HHS Action Plan for Viral Hepatitis that has elevated hepatitis B as a national public health priority," said Hepatitis B Foundation Executive Director and Co-founder, Joan Block. "Dr. Koh is an outstanding first recipient of the new Blumberg Prize, which was created in memory of our co-founder and Nobel Laureate Dr. Baruch Blumberg, who discovered the hepatitis B virus and invented the first vaccine. Dr. Blumberg's discoveries have literally saved millions of lives around the world."

Brad Segall, the award-winning Suburban Bureau Chief for KYW Newsradio 1060 and a long-time active supporter of the Foundation, will serve as the evening's emcee. Segall was the first recipient of the Foundation's Community Commitment Award that will be presented to Bridget and Joseph Wingert, editor and publisher of the Bucks County Herald. According to Block, "The Wingerts have always helped to promote the good work of nonprofit organizations such as ours in the region, so we are pleased to publicly thank them for their community commitment."

Cocktails will be served at 7 p.m. and dinner at 8 p.m. Silent and live auctions will be offered throughout the evening with a special raffle for a seven-night Holland America Line cruise for two. The Foundation is still accepting live and silent auction items, and a range of sponsorship opportunities are available. Univest is the presenting sponsor and the Bucks County Herald is the media sponsor. Additional major sponsors include Kevin Kruse, Citrin Cooperman, de Artfolio Design, Drexel University College of Medicine, Furia Rubel Communications, Gilead and High Swartz LLP. Raffle tickets are available for $100 and dinner tickets are $175. To learn more about the Crystal Ball or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.hepb.org.

Hepatitis B is the most common serious liver infection and the major cause of liver cancer worldwide. Two billion people have been infected with the hepatitis B virus (one out of three) and 400 million are chronically infected. Each year, one million people die prematurely from hepatitis B-related liver disease and liver cancer. In the U.S., an estimated two million Americans are chronically infected with hepatitis B - that is one in 20. The good news is that hepatitis B is preventable and treatable. However, for the 400 million people living with chronic hepatitis B infections, there is still no complete cure.

About the Hepatitis B Foundation: The Hepatitis B Foundation is the only national nonprofit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B and improving the quality of life for those affected worldwide through research, education and patient advocacy. To learn more, go to http://www.hepb.org, read our blog at http://wp.hepb.org, follow us on Twitter @HepBFoundation, find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/hepbfoundation or call (215) 489-4900.