Cigna Cardiologist Rebecca Allison, M.D., Becomes President of Gay and Lesbian Medical Association

BLOOMFIELD, Conn., September 30, 2009 - When the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) meets this week in Washington, D.C., for its 27^th annual conference, Cigna cardiologist Rebecca (Becky) Allison will become the organization’s president after serving as president-elect for the past year. Cigna (NYSE: CI) is the top-level Diamond sponsor of this year’s conference, which the GLMA calls the world's largest scientific meeting focusing on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender health.

Dr. Allison holds a bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Mississippi in Oxford, and she earned her medical degree magna cum laude from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson. She completed postgraduate training at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, and also at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Dr. Allison is board certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases and she’s a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Cardiology.

“Cigna's mission is to improve the health and well-being of the people we serve, and that means all of the people we serve, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Dr. Jeff Kang, Cigna's chief medical officer. “Becky Allison is not only an outstanding physician, she’s also completely dedicated to improving the health of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, and I congratulate her on becoming GLMA president.”

Dr. Allison has served on the GLMA board of directors since 2004 and has chaired its Education committee. She has also chaired the American Medical Association's Advisory Committee on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Issues, and she is a member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health.

Dr. Allison has authored chapters on gender identity and was an invited speaker at the American Psychiatric Association’s 2009 annual conference, where she spoke about gender identity disorder and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Dr. Allison resides in the Phoenix area and has been named several times as one of the "Top Doctors" in Phoenix Magazine’s annual poll.

Cigna values diversity in the workplace and respects the diversity of its customers. In 2007, the company was named a Best Place to Work by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the nation’s largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization. This distinction is awarded to companies that scored a perfect 100 percent on the Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index, which measures policies and practices implemented to promote fairness and equality in the workplace for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees.

Cigna is also a national sponsor of GLMA’s Provider Directory, which helps lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals find nonjudgmental and competent health care professionals. More information about the Provider Directory is available at www.glma.org/referrals.

Behavioral health care professionals who participate in Cigna's network have the option of including information about their sexual orientation in their online profile. Cigna uses this information to help individuals find an appropriate care giver if they prefer to receive mental health or substance abuse treatment from someone who is gay, lesbian or bisexual.

About Cigna

Cigna (NYSE:CI), a global health service company, is dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being and sense of security. Cigna Corporation's operating subsidiaries provide an integrated suite of medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy and vision care benefits, as well as group life, accident and disability insurance, to approximately 46 million people throughout the United States and around the world. To learn more about Cigna, visit www.cigna.com. To sign up for email alerts or an RSS feed of company news, log on to http://newsroom.cigna.com/section_display.cfm?section_id=18.

About GLMA

The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association is the world's largest and oldest association of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender health care professionals. Its mission is to ensure equality in health care for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and health care providers. GLMA's membership includes approximately 1,000 physicians, medical students, nurses, physician assistants, researchers, psychotherapists and other health professionals. Their practices represent the major health care disciplines and a wide range of medical specialties, including internal medicine, family practice, psychiatry, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, emergency medicine, neurology and infectious diseases. To learn more about GLMA, visit www.glma.org.