Dr. Vivian W. Pinn is the first full-time Director of the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an appointment she has held since November 1991. In February 1994, she was also named as Associate Director for Research on Women’s Health, NIH. Dr. Pinn came to NIH from Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C., where she had been Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathology since 1982, and has previously held appointments at Tufts University and Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Pinn has long been active in efforts to improve the health and career opportunities for women and minorities. She recently led a national effort to reexamine priorities for the women’s health research agenda for the 21st Century, involving over 1,500 advocates, scientists, policy makers, educators and healthcare providers.

Dr. Pinn attended the public schools of Lynchburg, Virginia. She earned her B.A. from Wellesley College in Massachusetts, and received her M.D. from the University of Virginia, School of Medicine in 1967. She was the only woman and minority in her class. She completed her postgraduate training in Pathology at the Massachusetts General Hospital.