Dr. Vivian Pinn Oral History (Part 1 of 5)

The Alma Dea Morani Renaissance Women in Medicine Oral History Project:

This oral history project highlights the recipients of the Foundation’s Alma Dea Morani, MD Renaissance Woman Award. This is a unique opportunity for these medical pioneers to share their story in their own words, and for future generations to listen to them tell it. This Part 1 of Vivian Pinn's Oral History, recorded in Spring 2023.

Vivian W. Pinn, MD, was the inaugural full-time director of the Office of Research on Women’s Health at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from 1991 and Associate Director of NIH for Women’s Health Research from 1994 until her retirement in 2011. Under her leadership, this new office led the implementation of NIH research inclusion policies for women and minorities in clinical research, developed the first ever, and several later, national strategic plans for women’s health research and established many new research funding initiatives and career development programs, including interdisciplinary initiatives, in collaboration with NIH Institutes and Centers.

During that time, she also established and co-chaired the NIH Committee on Women in Biomedical Careers with the NIH Director. She has since been named as a Senior Scientist Emerita at the NIH Fogarty International Center. She has presented her perceptions of women’s health and sex/gender research, health disparities, as well as challenges in biomedical careers to national and international audiences, and has served as a mentor to hundreds of young women and men of all races.

[grammybcm]

What a wonderful video! I am a Wellesley classmate of Vivian's and I loved hearing about her background growing up in the segregated south, her supportive family life and the events that inspired her to go into medicine despite the many obstacles she had to overcome to reach her goal. I am looking forward to learning more about her impressive life and career in the future segments of her fascinating oral history.