C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, Deputy CEO and Chief Health System Officer, was honored at a reception June 18 for 35 years of service to the people and patients at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
The event at Langford Auditorium brought together past and present colleagues throughout Vanderbilt to celebrate his remarkable career. On June 30, Pinson is stepping down from his role as Deputy CEO and Chief Health System Officer, and he will be succeeded by Jane Freedman, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine, physician-in-chief of Vanderbilt University Hospital and the Gladys Parkinson Stahlman Professor of Cardiovascular Research. Pinson will continue as President of the Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network and serve as a senior counselor to the President and CEO of VUMC dealing with government affairs, external hospital organizations and community affairs.
“After 35 years of service, it’s almost impossible to put Wright’s impact on Vanderbilt University Medical Center into words. I’m fond of saying he’s part of our DNA,” said Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, President and CEO of VUMC and Dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “He’s had a vast array of clinical leadership roles and in all of those roles, he has really shaped the culture of the clinical enterprise.”
“At the end of the day,” Balser continued, “while the clinical enterprise has grown by leaps and bounds, what people will always remember is the deep and trusting relationships Wright has woven through this massive footprint. Those relationships will outlast the physical facilities, and they are his gift to us. Thank you, Wright.”
Pinson said, “I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of my colleagues and friends that have been instrumental in this journey. I’m very proud of and grateful for VUMC. We have so many more capable leaders today than we have ever had. So, I leave you with the fact that the future is bright; the leadership here is excellent. I particularly want to say that my hat is off to Jane Freedman. I wish her all the best as she takes over this clinical enterprise.”
Pinson has been one of VUMC’s most visible and active members of Nashville’s and Tennessee’s health care communities.
In addition to a succession of increasingly responsible administrative leadership roles, he has spent his career as an organ transplant surgeon, professor, research investigator, business leader, career mentor and community advocate, advancing the delivery of health care at the local, state, national and global levels.
As health system leader, Pinson has championed a culture of service and has overseen a period of explosive clinical growth. Now, the Vanderbilt Health System includes seven hospitals and hundreds of adult and pediatric ambulatory clinics at more than 180 locations throughout multiple states.
