HARTFORD – Robert Samuels, life director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, and his wife, Renée Samuels, will be honored and receive the Carole and Ray Neag Medal of Honor at the 8th Annual White Coat Gala: Honoring Heroes and Healers, to benefit UConn Health on April 22 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.

The Samuelses have made a difference in the lives of patients and families through their generous support of the Center on Aging at UConn Health. Their gifts have made numerous patient-care and outreach programs possible, including lectures, memory training, lifestyle counseling, and nutrition education.

Robert Samuels has served on the UConn Health Board of Directors, the advisory board for the School of Medicine, and the campaign steering committees for UConn Health (as chair) and the Division of Athletics. The couple also has provided major support for fundraising events, including the White Coat Gala, Mohegan Sun Jim Calhoun Golf Classic, and UConn Cancer Research Golf Tournament. They have endowed scholarships at the main campus in Storrs for student-athletes on both the women’s and men’s basketball teams.

Renee Samuels has served on the Board of Regents at the University of Hartford and held a number of volunteer leadership positions at the University of Hartford’s Hartford Art School. Robert Samuels is former president and CEO of ABS Development and past director at the Joslin Diabetes Center. The couple has four children and 11 grandchildren.

UConn Health also will honor Dr. George Kuchel, one of the nation’s foremost researchers and physicians in geriatrics. He is director of the Center on Aging and holds the Travelers Chair in Geriatrics and Gerontology.