Jonathan Perlin, M.D., Ph.D., To Receive AHA Distinguished Service Award

WASHINGTON (April 14, 2026) - The American Hospital Association (AHA) will present its highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, to Jonathan B. Perlin, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of Joint Commission. Perlin will receive the 2026 award during a ceremony on April 20 at the AHA Annual Membership Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Perlin has guided Joint Commission through a period of significant challenges and transformation for the health care field. Under his leadership, Joint Commission has strengthened its focus on patient safety, access to care and workforce well-being, while modernizing accreditation approaches to better support hospitals and health systems navigating unprecedented operational and clinical pressures.

"A steady and trusted voice throughout his distinguished career as a leader on quality at the Department of Veterans Affairs, at a large health system and now at Joint Commission, Jon has worked collaboratively with providers, policymakers and stakeholders to drive improvements in care," said AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack. "His work has been especially influential in advancing patient quality, clinical effectiveness and community health."

As AHA Board Chair, Perlin helped guide the field through accelerating payment and delivery system transformation amid heightened regulatory and financial pressures. He was a strong advocate for aligning quality improvement with affordability and access, emphasizing hospitals' roles as community anchors and partners in population health. His tenure was marked by a collaborative, physician-informed approach that elevated caregivers' voices while ensuring the focus remained on patient care.

Prior to leading Joint Commission, Perlin served in multiple high-impact roles, including as president, clinical operations and chief medical officer of HCA Healthcare and as the Under Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where as CEO he oversaw one of the largest integrated health systems in the nation. Across these roles, he championed data-driven quality improvement, patient safety and accountability, helping organizations scale best practices. Results of his work defined leading practices in infection prevention, reducing maternal mortality and using artificial intelligence to improve sepsis survival.

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About the AHA

The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks, other providers of care and 43,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at https://www.aha.org.