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At the recent HIGPA International Expo, co-hosted by HISCI, HIGPA presented the HIGPA Achievement Award to Derwood B. Dunbar, Jr., former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mid-Atlantic Group Network of Shared Services, Cooperative (MAGNET). Mr. Dunbar co-founded HIGPA in 1990, served as its first President, and subsequently served as Board Chair.
On March 15, 2010, Mr. Dunbar retired as President and CEO of MAGNET. A co-founder of MAGNET, Mr. Dunbar served as President and CEO from 1989 to 2010 and previously served as its Chairman and Vice-Chairman. In addition to his time spent with MAGNET, Mr. Dunbar co-founded and served as the first President of HIGPA. The HIGPA Expo was a celebration of 20 years of HIGPA and 100 years of GPOs; a very fitting atmosphere to honor Mr. Dunbar.
In his acceptance, Mr. Dunbar stated: “The existence and success of HIGPA rank among the top of my career accomplishments, and I am proud to have contributed to the development of group purchasing as a vehicle for hospital cost savings, bringing innovative products and services to market, and improving overall hospital efficiency and effectiveness.”