IHPBA Distinguished Service Award 2016: Dr C. Wright Pinson

The 2016 IHPBA Distinguished Service Medal will be awarded to Dr C. Wright Pinson

C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD graduated with distinction in Physics from University of Colorado in 1974.  While an engineer for IBM, he completed a Master’s in Business Administration (finance) in 1976.  A 1980 graduate of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, he trained in general (OHSU), hepatobiliary (Lahey Clinic), and transplant surgery (Harvard/Deaconess Hospital). He is boarded in surgery and critical care and is a fellow in American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Pinson was promoted to Professor of Surgery two years after completing training. He has held a very many important posts over his career including H. William Scott Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery, Program Director of the Vanderbilt General Surgery Residency, Chief of Staff of the Vanderbilt Hospitals, and Chief Medical Officer.  Dr. Pinson started the first liver transplantation program in the Pacific Northwest, the first liver transplantation program in the V.A. system, and was then recruited to Vanderbilt University to start the liver transplant program and liver surgery division in 1990. While he was the Director of the Vanderbilt Transplant Center for 18 years, 6500 transplants of all types were performed. 

Since 2009, Dr. Pinson is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Health Affairs and, Chief Executive Officer of the Vanderbilt Health System. This integrated system includes 2,000 academic clinical physicians, 4 hospitals with 62,000 admissions/yr, 65,000 operations/yr, 100 outpatient clinics with 2.1 million visits/yr, and a budget of $3.2 billion/yr. The system has grown 35% during his tenure. Starting 2011, he helped organize the fastest growing provider network in the nation, becoming President and Chairman of the Board of the Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network, a 50 hospital affiliated system covering the state of Tennessee.

In 2008 Dr Pinson co-founded the Masters in Management in Health Care program and is a Professor in the Graduate School of Business. He has also been an active clinical and laboratory investigator in transplantation surgery leading to 300 publications. He has supervised 35 Research Fellows since 1988, received numerous grants and the Grant Liddle research mentoring award.  He has been active in myriad organizations, serving as President and on the boards for many including the editorial board of 4 surgical journals. In 2012 he received the TJ Martell Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2015 the AHPBA Distinguished Service Award.

Dr Pinson has enthusiastically served the IHPBA for many years.  He first joined our predecessor association, IHBPA, in 1988 and during the 1990s he became key to the success of our Americas regional association, the AHPBA, where he has served as treasurer, chair of the development committee, and president 2003-5.  For the IHPBA, he has served on the Scientific Program Committee, Membership Committee, the Warren Foundation Board, the Nominating Committee, the IHPBA Council for 14 years, the Executive Committee for 10 years, Treasurer, and as President from 2010-2012.  He chaired the IHPBA World Congress in 2004, in Washington DC.  Notable aspects of that congress were parallel sessions for anaesthesiologists and interventional radiologists as well as welcoming speeches by the US Surgeon General and a US Senator with major healthcare expertise.  However, as well as the undoubted educational and financial success of that congress, another highlight was a performance by the Band, Soul Incision, with Dr Pinson on drums.

Dr Pinson also provided invaluable assistance and support for the successful IHPBA World Congress in Buenos Aires in 2010, and played a pivotal role in negotiating publication contracts for our journal HPB. 
Dr Pinson’s contribution both to the field of HPB surgery and to the IHPBA cannot be overstated. 

The award was presented on 22nd April at the General Assembly of the 12th IHPBA World Congress 2016, São Paulo, Brazil.

Published on Friday 22nd April 2016