the 39th Annual golden door award Gala
The International Institute of New England is presenting this year’s Golden Door Award to Dr. Reshma Kewalramani. It is fitting that in the middle of a global pandemic we are honoring a scientist and global leader of a company devoted to helping patients fighting rare diseases.

Reshma Kewalramani, M.D.
CEO & President, Vertex
April 27th, 2021
Our Mission
The Golden Door Award has been an IINE tradition for more than 40 years. The honoree is an immigrant to the United States who has made outstanding contributions to American society.
It is an occasion that calls us to stand together in celebration of the achievements of new Americans who have played an integral role in our community, economy, and society.
The Award takes its name from Emma Lazarus’s words, which are inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty: “From her beacon hand glows world-wide welcome…I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”


The 2022 Golden Door Award Honoree
Reshma Kewlramani, M.D.
Dr. Reshma Kewalramani is the Chief Executive Officer and President of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation to create transformative medicines for people with serious diseases. Vertex has multiple approved medicines that treat the underlying causes of Cystic Fibrosis and other rare diseases.
Dr. Kewalramani is an accomplished leader and physician with a track record of building strong teams, putting patients first, leading change and delivering results.
As an immigrant and alumna of two Massachusetts universities, Dr. Kewalramani’s life and contributions to science exemplify the ingenuity and global leadership that benefits the United States in remaining open to brilliant minds from around the world. As the first female CEO of a top five biotech firm, she is inspiring people across generations and industries.
For her successful efforts to provide life-saving medicines to people with rare diseases and for her leadership of one of the world’s premier biotechnology companies, the International Institute of New England proudly presents the 39th Golden Door Award to Dr. Reshma Kewalramani.

The 2022 Golden Door Award Host
Amaka Ubaka
Amaka Ubaka is an Emmy award-winning journalist. She anchors 7NEWS Today in New England and 7NEWS at Noon.
Host Committee
Committee Co-Chairs
Timothy G. Ferris, M.D., CEO, Mass. General Physicians Organization
Linda Henry, CEO, Boston Globe Media
Diane Patrick, Partner, Ropes & Gray
Committee Members
Dr. Joseph Aoun, President, Northeastern University
Sangeeta Bhatia, M.D., Ph.D., John J. and Dorothy Wilson Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Nilanjana Bhowmik, Co-Founder & General Partner, Converge
Dr. Robert A. Brown, President, Boston University
Shamim Dahod, M.D., President, Noor il Iman Foundation
Nisreen Dahod
Desh Desphande, Chairman, Sparta Group LLC.
Tasneem Dohadwala, Founding Partner, Excelestar Ventures
Andrew Dreyfus, President and Chief Executive Office, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
John Fish, Chairman and CEO Suffolk Construction Company
Laurie H. Glimcher, M.D., President & CEO, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Marianne Harrison, Chief Executive Officer, John Hancock
Dr. Samarth Kulkarni, CEO, Crispr Therapeutics
Dr. Jeff Leiden, Executive Chairman, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Margaret Low, Chief Executive Officer, WBUR
Sharon McNally, President, Camp Harbor View
Rob Perez, Operating Partner, General Atlantic, Founder and Chairman, Life Science Cares
Andrew Plump, M.D., Ph.D., President of Research and Development, Takeda
Reshma Shetty, Ph.D., Co-founder, Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc.
Kate Walsh, President and CEO, Boston Medical Center
Darshana Zaveri, Partner, Catalyst Health Ventures
IINE Board of Directors
Zoltan Csimma, Chair
Christina Bai
Tara Chynoweth
Sam Épée-Bounya
Ginger Gregory, Ph.D.
Tuan Ha-Ngoc
Avak Kahvejian, Ph.D.
William Krause
Shari Loessberg
Bopha MaloneTheo Melas-Kyriazi
Frederick Millham, M.D.
Deborah Shufrin
Nia Tatsis, Ph.D.
Jeff Thielman, President and CEO
Golden Legacy Sponsor

Advocate Sponsors




Partner Sponsors







Promoter Sponsors














Ally Sponsors
Acceleron Pharma
AE Events
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Beth Israel Lahey Health
CBRE
Consigli
Converge
Jaishree and Gururaj Deshpande
EY
Bryn Einarsdóttir and Örn Almarsson
Flagship Pioneering
Gurnet Point Capital
Goodwin Procter LLP
Keros Therapeutics
Thomas Knight
MassBio
Lisa and Theo Melas-Kyriazi
PDB Foundation
Pfizer
Jasbir Seehra
Reshma Shetty, Ph.D.
Skadden
Dr. Nia Tatsis and Mr. Evan Tzanis
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Termeer Family
WilmerHale
Susan Whitehead
WS Development
Darshana Zaveri
Friend Sponsors
Rosamond W. Allen
Corey Bollier & Sylvia Jacob
Boston Children’s Hospital
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Denise & Bob DiCenso
Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation
Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP
Bruce Leicher and Ellen Sachs Leicher
MIT Office of Government & Community Relations
Novalis Life Sciences
Parlee Farms
Andrew Plump and Suzanne Driscoll Plump
UMass Memorial Health Care, Inc.
Kate Walsh and Erik Garpestad
WBUR
Ally Sponsors
Christina Y. Bai
Jessica and Naiff Bethoney
Kate and Gerald Chertavian
Rogerio Vivaldi Coelho
Enterprise Bank
Mark and Hilary Finnegan
Georges and Josianne Gemayel
Karen and Steven Krichmar
Valerie and Gabe Schmergel
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
White Family Foundation