Dr. Vivian Pinn is not just considered a pioneer in the field of medicine, but a groundbreaker who became “the first” to forge a path for herself as a woman of color as she pursed her endeavors:

In 1967, Dr. Pinn was the only African American and the only woman in her class to graduate from the University of Virginia School of Medicine; in 1982, Dr. Pinn became the first African American woman to chair an academic pathology department in the US at Howard University School of Medicine; in 1991, Dr. Pinn become the first full-time director of the Office of Research on Women’s Health at the National Institutes of Health, and in 2017, at the center of the UVA Health System hospital complex, which houses the UVA School of Medicine, a building was renamed PInn Hall in honor of this medical trailblazer.

L.D. Britt, chairman of the Health System’s board, said, “Her work at NIH on minority and women’s health has set the bar.” But it wasn’t an easy path said Dr. Pinn. “I do remember that it was the University that gave me the ability to be a physician, and therefore provided the foundation on which I built my career in medicine.” She also recalled sitting in the back of the classroom on the first day of medical school and realizing she was the only black person and the only woman in the class. “I was so discouraged,” Pinn said. “I was thinking when we broke for coffee that I should just go ahead and go home and call it a day.”

More importantly, Dr. Pinn did not give up but forged a path for women of color as a role model and advisor in biomedical careers. For women everywhere, her leadership at the NIH led to research on how a wide variety of health issues affect women in unique ways. This included studies of what particular diseases women get and the ways treatment and diagnosis may differ between women and men.

“Dr. Pinn first funded my former agency’s fledgling efforts to launch the National Latino Cancer Summit during her tenure at NIH. I am now pleased to call her a dear friend and colleague as she helps guide the Latino Cancer Institute,” said TLCI founder, Ysabel Duron.

Notable Awards & Recognition:
Dr. Pinn has won the Howard University College of Medicine, Women in Medicine, Woman of the Year Award, 1989; University of Virginia, Distinguished Alumna Award, 1992; Wellesley College, Alumni Achievement Award, 1993; Black Woman Hall of Fame Foundation, Chicago, Bethune Tubman Truth Award, 1990.