Health Care Hall of Fame Past Inductees

Dr. Vivian Pinn

Inducted in 2016

Pinn served as a physician, professor and researcher, dedicating her career advocating for women's health issues and working to eliminate healthcare disparities. Upon entering the University of Virginia School of Medicine in 1963, she was the only woman and minority student in her class. She would graduate with honors. Following a postgraduate fellowship at Harvard Medical School, she served in a variety of clinical and academic roles at Tufts University in Boston and several of its affiliated organizations, as well as Howard University in Washington, D.C. Because of her longtime clinical and research interest in the field, in 1991 she was appointed director of the Office of Research on Women's Health, part of the National Institutes of Health. She would remain in the role for nearly 20 years. Pinn also was a mentor to many, particularly encouraging minority women to pursue careers in medicine and science.