ARLINGTON, Va. — “Late Night” host and “Saturday Night Live” alumnus Seth Meyers is slated as the keynote speaker for the 2016 National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation Dinner.

Seth Meyers

In its 18th year, the NACDS Foundation Dinner is scheduled for Dec. 1 in Manhattan.

During his 13-year tenure as a Saturday Night Live personality and head writer, Meyers was known for his sharp wit and political commentary, NACDS said. In 2014, the comedian was named as one of Time magazine’s 100 most-influential people in the world, the same year in which he hosted the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards. Meyers won an Emmy Award in 2011 and has earned 13 Emmy Award nominations.

“As the foundation comes together during the NACDS Foundation Dinner to celebrate accomplishments and renew commitments to advancing patient care, we look forward to the unique perspective Seth Meyers will bring — in what has certainly been a year filled with turbulent political and world events,” NACDS Foundation president Kathleen Jaeger said in a statement.

“In addition, we look forward to welcoming someone with such a strong reputation for giving back, as Seth Meyers does through his engagement and support for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, among others,” Jaeger added.

The NACDS Foundation Dinner and contributions from the foundation’s benefactors help support evidence-based research that advances patient care, pharmacy education, student scholarships, and charitable organizations that improve patient outcomes.

NACDS noted that the foundation has continued to advance its mission this year through several vital initiatives, including a collaborative response to the Zika virus public health emergency with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the CDC Foundation, the March of Dimes and other stakeholders to raise awareness about Zika and protect at-risk populations in Puerto Rico and the United States.

The foundation, too, is partnering with more than 100 pharmacies on a point-of-care testing program to demonstrate the health benefits of community-based services for common ailments and infections. It also has funded study to assess a patient care model to increase access to key HIV and hepatitis C testing. In addition, the foundation has provided $230,000 in scholarships and grants via the 2016 NACDS Foundation Scholarship Program.