The second annual event will be held this year on Sept. 7 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

The event is named after Kenneth F. Brown, co-founder of the Hawai'i Health Foundation and former chair of The Queen's Health Systems, and Dr. Earl Bakken, founder of Medtronic, the largest producer of implantable medical devices.

Brown and Bakken share a dream that Hawai'i will become a world-renowned health center. This year's recipients are "world class," Shintani said. "We're just so fortunate to have these people somehow connected to Hawai'i." The awards recognize individuals and organizations who have made a positive impact on the health of the community, state and world, organizers said. This year's The Earl Bakken International Health Award, given to a person who has made an impact in the United States and around the world. will be given to Wilson Greatbatch, who invented the first successful implantable pacemaker.

The Kenneth Brown Hawai'i Health Award will be given : Dr. Thomas Kosasa and Dr. H. Lorrin Lau. Kosasa is nationally recognized for his work in reproductive technology. Lau's work in the 1950s and 1960s resulted in the development of the world's first affordable pregnancy test.

This award is to recognize a person who has done major work to improve the health of Hawai'i.

The "Auntie Aggie" Cope Community & Cultural Health Award is to honor those who's work reflects a major impact on health in the community and is being given to Clinton Churchill, Richard Gushman, David Heenan and Adm. Ronald Zlatoper, trustees of the Estate of James Campbell who are recognized for their community philanthropy.

The Hawai'i Health Foundation Integrative Medicine Award, given to a person who has brought together different disciplines to have a positive influence on healthcare by taking a whole person approach to healing will be shared by Dr. Diane Cirincione and Dr. Gerald Jampolsky. Cirincione is a therapist and internationally known lecturer, author and entrepreneur. Her husband, Jampolsky, is recognized worldwide as an authority in the fields of psychiatry, health and education.

"For many years, people have said Hawai'i should be a world center for health, and one way to get the message out, we felt, was to honor people who have done great things in the area of health," said Dr. Terry Shintani, president of the Hawai'i Health Foundation.