President of BD Medical Elected to the Board of the Academic Alliance Foundation

Arlington, VA-- May 16, 2005-- The Academic Alliance Foundation (AAF) announced today that Gary M. Cohen, President, BD Medical, has been elected to its Board. The AAF is dedicated to fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic by supporting programs designed to combat the disease in the countries hardest hit by the virus. The main focus of AAF's efforts is to train African healthcare providers. BD Medical is one of the three operating segments of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company, NYSE: BDX) and among the world's leading suppliers of medical technologies.

"The Academic Alliance Foundation's honorable mission to develop innovative, sustainable programs that respond to devastating diseases in Africa is well aligned with BD's purpose as a company, as well as with my personal beliefs," said Gary Cohen. "It is an honor to be elected to the board of an organization that is having such an important impact on health care in the developing world."

"We have chosen Mr. Cohen to sit on our board because his dedication to improving healthcare in the developing world is one that we share," said Merle Sande, M.D., President, Academic Alliance Foundation. "His experience in successful international health programs will help direct the activities and progress of the Academic Alliance Foundation as it strives to be a leading force against the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa."

In his work at BD, Mr. Cohen dedicates a significant amount of time towards addressing developing world health issues. He has made this personal commitment because he believes that the Company's capabilities and experience in medical technology can help save and improve countless lives around the world. Mr. Cohen and the BD team work in cooperation with international agencies such as UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, discussing health policy issues and making available, on a sustainable basis, devices and technologies that help in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases that have reached pandemic proportions in developing countries.

Cohen has been a speaker and expert panelist in policy and advocacy forums involving HIV/AIDS, and was among the senior level delegates accompanying U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson on a visit to four African countries in December 2003 to study the impact of HIV/AIDS. He is a member of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF's Leadership Group for Hope Lives Here: UNICEF's Campaign Against AIDS, which is focused on assisting families infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. Mr. Cohen is a board member of the Perrigo Company and the Rutgers School of Business, where he was recently recognized as a distinguished alumnus.

About AAF
The AAF was born out of a unique private-public partnership between academicians of Africa and North America, the pharmaceutical industry and other organizations and institutions looking to unite in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic. This partnership, the Academic Alliance for AIDS Care and Prevention in Africa (AA) began attacking the most pressing global health crisis of our time by supporting and strengthening the medical infrastructure in Uganda to better train and prepare its physicians, scientists, nurses, pharmacists and laboratory technicians to respond to the challenge of the pandemic in Africa. The men and women of AA developed an innovative combination of clinical care, prevention and research programs that is becoming the most sought after training for African health-care professionals in the Region.

The Academic Alliance Foundation was created in September 2003 to develop, support and sustain the activities and projects of the AA to fight HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases in Uganda and beyond. The support of the AAF will allow the collaborative efforts of the Academic Alliance members towards these objectives to continue into the future. Additional information on AAF can be found at www.academicalliancefoundation.org

About BD
BD is a medical technology company that serves healthcare institutions, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, industry and the general public. BD manufactures and sells a broad range of medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment and diagnostic products. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2004, BD reported total revenues of $4.935 billion.

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