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Jordan Hall Renamed Pinn Hall

September 22, 2016 by zrb8mf@virginia.edu

On September 15, 2016 the Board of Visitors voted to rename Jordan Hall (where our department is located) in honor of Dr. Vivian Pinn, a graduate of the UVA SOM Class of 1967. In an email to SOM Employees, Dr. Richard Shannon explained:

Having recognized the service of Dean Harvey Jordan for more than 45 years – and as we refurbish our central research facility – this is an opportune time to create a new representation of UVA’s inspiring medical education and research. Along with the renaming of Jordan Hall, we will also commission a Nobel Atrium to honor the Nobel laureates in medicine who did pioneering work at UVA.

Our goal is to provide a shining light into our bright future, reflecting the accomplishments of modern day luminaries who provide us with stellar examples of what persistence, diligence, teamwork and creativity can achieve. As a group of School of Medicine leaders discussed for whom Jordan Hall should be renamed as part of this effort, Dr. Pinn was the consensus choice.

Honored for her work as a physician, scientist, researcher and scholar, Dr. Pinn embodies the values, character and skills of a leader whom  we want our students and faculty to emulate as we strive to improve the human condition. She was the sole female and minority member of the Class of 1967 at the UVA School of Medicine. She had an illustrious career at both Tufts Medical School and at Howard University College of Medicine, where she became the first African-American woman to chair Howard’s Department of Pathology. Dr. Pinn served as the first director of the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health, and during her time at NIH instituted a national project to re-examine priorities for the women’s health research agenda in the U.S.

She was elected to the Institute of Medicine in 1995 and received special recognition from the American Association of Medical Colleges in 2011 for her exceptional leadership to improve health and career opportunities for women and minorities. In 2012, she earned the first Bernadine Healy Award for Visionary Leadership in Women’s Health from the Congress on Women’s Health. Earlier this year, she was named to Modern Healthcare’s Health Care Hall of Fame.

Dr. Pinn has been honored on multiple occasions by UVA. In 2005 she became the first African-American woman to give the University’s Commencement Address, and in 2010 the School of Medicine named one of its advisory colleges for medical students in her honor.

Her impact on American healthcare has been significant and groundbreaking. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Pinn.

Sincerely,

Richard P. Shannon, MD
Executive Vice President for Health Affairs
UVA Health System