Memphis, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2002 - Dr. Vivian Pinn, the first full-time director of the Office of Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health, will be the keynote speaker for the Junior League's American Dialogue Series sponsored by Baptist Memorial Health Care on March 4 at 7 p.m.

This free public event will be held in the lobby of Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women, and Pinn will address the topic "Women's Health and Research for the 21st Century." Since joining the Office of Research on Women's Health, Pinn has advanced national efforts to improve health and career opportunities for women and minorities.

"The Baptist Women's Hospital is proud to join the Junior League in bringing Dr. Pinn, a true advocate for women's health, to Memphis," said Anita Vaughn, administrator and CEO of Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women. "Dr. Pinn's commitment and passion to advancing women's health issues echo ours at Baptist. The Baptist Women's Hospital was established to make women's health trailblazers of Dr. Pinn's caliber available to Memphis; through events, such as the Junior League's American Dialogue series, we're accomplishing that goal."

Pinn earned her bachelor's degree from Wellesley College in Massachusetts and graduated from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in 1967, where she was the only woman and minority in her class. In September 1982, she was appointed chair of the department of pathology at the Howard University College of Medicine and Howard University Hospital, becoming the third woman in the United States to chair a department of pathology. Pinn also served as the second woman president of the National Medical Association from 1989-1990.

Pinn has received numerous honors and awards including being named among Ladies' Home Journal's Top 10 Researchers in Women's Health; the Association of American Colleges 2000 Women in Medicine Leadership Development Award; and the University of Pennsylvania's 2000 Catherine McFarland Award for distinguished service in women's health. In April 2001, the University of Virginia School of Medicine established the Vivian W. Pinn Distinguished Lecture in Health Disparities.

"We're so excited to have Dr. Pinn as the keynote speaker for the Junior League's American Dialogue Lectureship Series," said Elaine Hare, 2002 president of the Junior League of Memphis. "Her work is so important and timely for women. We're proud to join Baptist in making such a pioneer in today's health issues available to women in the Memphis community."

The lecture is open to the public. Reservations are suggested due to limited seating. For more information or to make reservations, please call 1-800-4BAPTIST or (901) 227-8478.

The Junior League of Memphis is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.

Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women is the first comprehensive women's hospital in Memphis and one of only about 15 freestanding women's hospitals in the nation. The 259,580-square-foot hospital has a 670-space attached parking garage and an 80,000-square-foot physicians' office building. The facility features drop-in child care, a community library, a Newborn Intensive Care unit, a high-risk pregnancy center, the Center for Urinary and Pelvic Disorders, the Women's Health Center Boutique and the Women's Health Center.

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