Veteran CEO Chosen to Lead MedicAlert Foundation International
Former MedicAlert Canada CEO Brings Years of Direct Knowledge and Experience to International Headquarters

Turlock, CA. April 22, 2008, The board of directors of MedicAlert Foundation International, the leader in providing emergency response medical information services, today announced that Dr. Martin Kabat has been chosen as the new permanent chief executive officer and president of MedicAlert Foundation International.

Dr. Kabat had been serving as interim president and chief executive officer of MedicAlert Foundation International as the board conducted a search for a permanent chief executive. Dr. Kabat had been president and CEO of MedicAlert Canada since 2004, where he introduced the “No Child Without” program designed to protect school children across Canada.  The program recently obtained C$5 million in funding from the Canadian government to support its implementation.

“We are pleased that Martin has agreed to lead MedicAlert Foundation International. We look forward to working with him as he moves the Foundation forward using his wealth of knowledge from his experience at MedicAlert Canada and his proven track record of innovative thinking and commitment to community service. For more than 50 years we have been saving lives with our services and products, and we are confident that Martin is the right leader to help us continue that mission,” said Joel Moses, chairman, MedicAlert Foundation International.

“MedicAlert’s commitment to its founder’s vision has not changed in the last 52 years,” added Dr. Kabat. “It’s an honor to have been chosen by the board of MedicAlert Foundation to take on the challenges that face the organization today, especially the need to maintain and enhance our unique role as the leading provider of emergency information services. At the same time, we are committed to charitable efforts that give back to the communities we serve and help all children with potentially serious medical conditions throughout the United States.”  

Before his tenure at the Canadian MedicAlert Foundation, Dr. Kabat held the position of vice president, finance and administration at iFire Technology Inc., a subsidiary of The Westaim Corporation that sponsors the development of new commercial technologies in Canada and the United States. Dr. Kabat also served as CFO for The Travelstead Group, where he was responsible for an international portfolio of companies based in the USA, Spain, Holland and Australia, including a $1 billion project to build a Ritz-Carlton Hotel and commercial center in Barcelona. Dr. Kabat has worked extensively in the not-for-profit sector as a professor and senior administrator for a private liberal arts college in Maryland.  Dr. Kabat holds an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, an MA and PhD from New York University, and a BA in Philosophy from Washington College.

About MedicAlert
MedicAlert pioneered the first medical identification service in 1956 as a way to provide people with a simple but effective method for communicating about their medical conditions. Since the organization’s founding, MedicAlert has provided services and products that protect and save the lives of its 4 million members. For more than 50 years, the organization has relayed vital medical information on behalf of its members to emergency responders so they receive faster and safer treatment. MedicAlert emblems, worn as bracelets, pendants or other forms of jewelry, alert emergency personnel to a member’s primary health conditions. In addition to its 24-hour emergency response service, MedicAlert also provides family notification in the case of an emergency and so that members can be reunited with their families. For more information visit www.medicalert.org

###