Dr. William Novick, Founder of the International Children’s Heart Foundation, was awarded the Frederique Constant Passion Award in Geneva, on June 28, 2007. The Passion Award is presented annually to recognize the most passionate entrepreneur who has successfully developed an international business and to highlight their true passion that is typically the main driver of a successful entrepreneurial business.

Dr. Novick started the International Children’s Heart Foundation in July 1994 and has been taking volunteer m edical teams around the world to provide free operations to children with congenital heart defects. To date, the International Children’s Heart Foundation has made 144 medical mission trips and operated on almost 3000 children in 20 countries. Over 1000 volunteers have traveled with the medical teams over the years.

Since its modest beginnings in 1994 of making five medical mission trips and operating on 101 children, Dr. Novick has elevated the International Children’s Heart Foundation to an organization that is recognized as a leader around the world at providing more heart surgery and education than any other organization in its class.

Dr. Novick, the International Children’s Heart Foundation and its volunteers have been recognized at the highest government levels (awarded Presidential Medals by three countries: Belarus, Croatia, and Nicaragua) and by the media (Academy Award for Chernobyl Heart Documentary, 2004). Foundation volunteer physicians routinely appear on the list of America’s Best Doctors.

As a Passion Award winner, Dr. Novick will receive a solid gold Frederique Constant watch from the Heart Beat Manufacture collection and will be offered a Business Case Study by Prof. Dominique Turpin of IMD Lausanne.

In addition to Dr. Novick, Mr. Peter-Frans Pauwels of TomTom was awarded the Frederique Constant Passion Award in the commercial catagory.

High Resolution photos of the Passion Awards Ceremony