While
growing up, Vivian W. Pinn became accustomed to helping those in need
of medical care. Her grandmother suffered from diabetes and a grandfather
had cancer. Later, after she entered Wellesley College, Pinn took leave
to help care for her mother, who died of cancer at age 46. Pinn’s
early experience with family illnesses led to her medical career.
After graduating from Wellesley in 1962, she entered
the University of Virginia’s medical school during a time when blacks
were not made to feel welcome. "It was rough, but I tried to be positive,"
Pinn says. "I knew I had to study hard." Pinn graduated from
UVA’s medical school in 1967. She was the only woman and minority
in her class, and the second African-American woman to graduate from that
medical school.
Similar milestones include her being named at Howard
University as the first African-American woman to chair an academic pathology
department in the United States.
Vivian W. Pinn, M.D.
In 1991, she became the first director of the Office of
Research on Women’s Health at the National Institutes of Health. She
previously taught at Harvard Medical School and served on the faculty at Tufts
University School of Medicine.
"You
must have faith in yourself, and reach for the stars if you want to achieve
your dreams"
Pinn pushes to improve medical and career opportunities
for women and minorities. She led a national effort to re-examine priorities
for the women’s health research agenda, involving some 1,500 advocates,
scientists, policymakers, educators and health-care providers. She wants more
minorities to participate in clinical research trials by gaining information
and access to such programs.
Pinn is considered a pioneer in women’s health and
has received numerous honors and awards. "I don’t forget who I am;
I'm grateful for opportunities. You must have faith in yourself, and reach for
the stars if you want to achieve your dreams," she says.
She has served as president of the National Medical
Association, is a Fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and
was elected to the Institute of Medicine in 1995. The University Of Virginia
School Of Medicine has named the Vivian Pinn Distinguished Lecture in Health
Disparities in her honor, and in 2007 presented her with the Walter Reed
Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award.
In addition, in 2007, she received The Women of Color
Leadership Award from the Amerigroup Foundation. The American College of Physicians
awarded her the James D. Bruce Memorial Award in 1998 and in 1999, the National
Organization for Women honored Pinn for her leadership and contributions to
women’s health. She has been granted 9 honorary degrees since 1991 for
her achievements in women’s health.
