"Today" Show Contributing Correspondent Jenna Bush Hager to Serve as Guest Speaker for the 21st Annual Power of Pink Luncheon

The Women’s Council for the Leon Hess Cancer Center at Monmouth Medical Center will host the 21st Annual Power of Pink Luncheon, an event that benefits the Leon Hess Cancer Center at Monmouth Medical Center, on Thursday, July 21 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Guggenheim Library at Monmouth University.

This year’s event will feature celebrity guest speaker Jenna Bush Hager, contributing correspondent for NBC’s “Today” show and author. The Power of Pink Luncheon will recognize Thomas Hackett, D.O., Chief of Gynecologic Oncology at Monmouth Medical Center, as this year’s honoree.

In addition to her role on “Today,” Hager is an editor-at-large for Southern Living magazine and the author of The New York Times best -seller Ana’s Story: A Journey of Hope, which she wrote after traveling to Latin America in 2006 as an intern with UNICEF. The book is based on the life of a 17-year-old single mother with HIV who struggles to shield her child from the life of abuse and neglect she experienced. Today, Hager remains involved with UNICEF and is the founding chair of UNICEF Next Generation, an initiative dedicated to motivating younger generations help save and improve children’s lives around the world. Hager is also co-author of two children’s books: Read All About It! and Our Great Big Backyard.

Hager holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Texas at Austin. She is the daughter of former U.S. President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. In 2008, she married Henry Hager and the couple has two daughters, Margaret Laura “Mila” (3) and Poppy Louise (9 months).

Dr. Hackett, an accomplished physician, is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and gynecologic oncology. In addition to his position as chief of gynecologic oncology at Monmouth Medical Center and Community Medical Center in Toms River, he is a faculty member at Drexel University College of Medicine. He previously held academic appointments at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland and Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania

Honorably discharged as a Commander in the U.S. Navy, Dr. Hackett previously served as head of gynecologic oncology and assistant residency coordinator at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego.

Dr. Hackett earned his medical degree at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – New Jersey School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford. He completed a residency at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego and a fellowship at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center at Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey. He is a member of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

As the organization’s flagship event, the Power of Pink Luncheon brings together men and women to raise funds and enhance the quality of care delivered to cancer patients at Monmouth Medical Center. Since The Women’s Council’s inception, nearly $3 million has been raised. Proceeds from this year’s 21st Annual Luncheon will benefit the Patient Infusion Unit at the Leon Hess Cancer Center, which is comprised of highly trained individuals who specialize in oncology care, focusing on patient and family care, treatment, education and service.

To purchase a ticket or reserve a table for the Power of Pink Luncheon or for more information, visit www.barnabashealth.org/pop.

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

Photo 1: Jenna Hager – 21st Annual Power of Pink celebrity guest speaker Jenna Bush Hager, contributing correspondent for NBC’s “Today” show and author.

Photo 2: Thomas Hackett, DO - Power of Pink honoree Thomas Hackett, D.O., Chief of Gynecologic Oncology at Monmouth Medical Center.

About Monmouth Medical Center

Located in Long Branch, N.J., Monmouth Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, along with The Unterberg Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center, is one of New Jersey's largest academic medical centers and has been a teaching affiliate of Philadelphia’s Drexel University College of Medicine for more than 40 years. From its earliest days, Monmouth Medical Center has been a leader in surgical advancement and has introduced many technological firsts to the region, including robotic surgery and other minimally invasive techniques. U.S. News & World Report has recognized Monmouth as a regional leader in cancer, geriatrics, gynecology, neurology and neurosurgery. Monmouth Medical Center is the only hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties to receive an “A” Hospital Safety Score by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit organization of employer purchasers of health care and the nation’s leading experts on patient safety.