ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Leading Healthcare Software Company Founder and CEO to Accept Award June 14, During Alumni Weekend

Judy Faulkner ’65, the founder and CEO of the world’s leading healthcare software company, Epic, will receive Dickinson’s President's Award on Saturday, June 14. The award recognizes Faulkner’s trailblazing work as a medical technology visionary who transformed $70,000 in start-up money into a multibillion-dollar company, as well as her life-changing philanthropy.

“Judy is one of the most successful alums in Dickinson history, and her work founding and leading Epic has literally saved millions of lives,” says Dickinson President John E. Jones III ’77, P’11, who will present Faulkner with the award during a ceremony as part of the college’s Alumni Weekend celebration. “Her life-saving contributions to medical technology are matched only by her generosity, which has provided vital support for programs supporting the basic needs, education, safety and health of the next generation.”

Event Details

President Jones will present the award to Faulkner on Saturday, June 14, during a ceremony running 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The presentation, which will include a conversation between President Jones and Faulkner, is co-sponsored by the Office of the President and the John Dickinson Society.

Faulkner’s Bio

After graduating from Dickinson with a major in math, Faulkner launched Epic in 1979, with a vision to revolutionize medical recordkeeping. Epic is now the leading medical-record software company in the U.S and worldwide. It employs over 14,000 people and is used by some of the most prestigious and influential healthcare centers. Approximately 280 million U.S. patients have a record in Epic.

Now in use by more than 590,000 doctors, Epic transitioned healthcare organizations from storing data on paper siloed in hospital basements to digital records that travel with the patient from provider to provider. Healthcare providers that use Epic’s software to monitor patients’ medical conditions, track health risks, conduct research and innovate in other ways estimate that it helps them save thousands of lives each year.

Faulkner is widely recognized as a pioneer and remarkable role model for programmers, computer scientists, businesspeople and humanitarians, and she has received an honorary Doctor of Civic Engagement degree from Dickinson. Faulkner’s philanthropic work has also had a far-reaching impact. The Roots & Wings Foundation she established supports low-income children and families at pivotal times, when better healthcare, education, shelter and nutrition could mean the most for their future.

Faulkner has also given generously to scholarships at Dickinson, helping the college uphold its commitment to meeting the full demonstrated need of every admitted student. Her lifelong commitment to generosity has also been reinforced by her signing of the Giving Pledge to contribute 99 percent of her assets to philanthropic programs. As she puts it, “My goal in pledging 99 percent of my assets to philanthropy is to help others with roots—food, warmth, shelter, healthcare, education—so they, too, can have wings.”

The ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app President’s Award honors Faulkner’s achievements, leadership, service to society and dedication to shaping a brighter future through innovation and philanthropy.

TAKE THE NEXT STEPS 

Published April 2, 2025