Inductees

Wilsie S. Bishop, MSN, MSED, DPA

André L. Churchwell, M.D.

Vicky Gregg

Stephen Reynolds

Philip A. Wenk, D.D.S.

David Gregory, M.D.Dr. David Gregory is a lifelong Tennessean who has invested his talents to improve the lives and health of underserved Tennesseans, from veterans to refugees to the homeless. He has been a powerful role model for hundreds of young doctors during his...

Ned Ray McWherterNed McWherter spent his entire life living and working in and for Tennessee. After graduating from Dresden High School, his early years were devoted to establishing small businesses in the apparel and trucking industries. Elected to the House of...

Randy Wykoff, M.D., M.P.H & T.M.Dr. Randy Wykoff has become the face of public health in Appalachia and around Tennessee. His leadership has brought East Tennessee State University (ETSU) to the forefront of health care research and community engagement, and his...

Reginald Coopwood, M.D.Dr. Reginald Coopwood graduated from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN in 1985. He went on to complete his residency in general surgery in 1990 and entered private practice as a general surgeon in Nashville. In 1995, he founded Signature...

Ching-Hon Pui, M.D.A pioneer in translating laboratory discoveries into treatments for leukemia, Ching-Hon Pui, MD, is the chair of the Department of Oncology and the Fahad Nassar Al-Rashid Chair of Leukemia at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn....

Tom CigarranTom Cigarran received his Bachelor of Science degree from Villanova University and his M.B.A. from New York University’s Stern School of Business. He began his career in health care in the occupational and preventive health fields in New York, first with a...

Autry O.V. “Pete” DeBuskAfter graduation from Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) with a Bachelor of Science in biology, Pete DeBusk entered the health care industry. In 1973, he founded DeRoyal Industries, Inc. and today it is a world-wide manufacturer and distributor...

William E. Evans, Pharm.D.William E. Evans was born in Clarksville, Tennessee, and received his BSc and Pharm.D. degrees from the University of Tennessee (1973, 1974). Dr. Evans joined St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as a student in 1972 and dedicated his career...

James E.K. Hildreth, Ph.D., M.D.Dr. James Hildreth graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, was selected as the first African American Rhodes Scholar from Arkansas (1978), graduated from Oxford University with a PhD in Immunology (1982) and received a...

Robert Sanders, M.D.Dr. Robert Sanders was born in 1927 in Tullahoma, Tennessee. After enlisting in the Army and serving 18 months as a surveyor, he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Vanderbilt University. The G.I. Bill helped Sanders pay for his...

Monroe Dunaway "M.D." AndersonMonroe Dunaway “M.D.” Anderson lived a simple life. He was guided by the basic principles of hard work, thrift and self-denial. He believed in personal charity for those who were afflicted. As set forth in his Trust, he dedicated his...

Governor Phil BredesenPhil Bredesen has combined both private and public health care experience and expertise in an unusual and highly-effective way. He began in the private sector, where he is best known as an entrepreneur who started an HMO company—HealthAmerica—in...

Kathryn M. Edwards, M.D.Kathryn M. Edwards, M.D. earned her medical degree from the University of Iowa Medical School in 1973. After completing her residency and fellowships, she began her faculty tenure at Vanderbilt University joining one other pediatric infectious...

Donald S. MacNaughtonDonald S. MacNaughton earned his bachelor’s degree in 1939 and his law degree in 1948, both from Syracuse University. During WWII, MacNaughton served as a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps in the South Pacific. After working with...

G. Scott Morris, M.D.G. Scott Morris earned his B.A. from the University of Virginia, his Master’s in Divinity from Yale University, and his M.D. from Emory University. In 1987, he founded the Church Health Center of Memphis, where he has served as CEO to this day....

DAVID BARTON, M.D.Dr. David Barton earned a B.S. from The University of Alabama and an M.D. from Tulane University School of Medicine. He completed an internship at Ochsner Foundation Hospital and a residency in psychiatry at Tulane and its affiliated hospitals. He...

Mary Bufwack, Ph.D.Dedicated to expanding the availability of affordable, high-quality primary health care services, Dr. Mary Bufwack’s creative leadership can be seen across the state of Tennessee and beyond. After finding her way to Nashville in 1982, Dr. Bufwack...

NANCY-ANN DEPARLENancy-Ann DeParle’s decades-long career in the health care industry has spanned all corners of Tennessee, two White House administrations, the boards of countless health care companies, many nonprofits and more. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts...

Lloyd C. Elam, M.D.Dr. Lloyd Charles Elam, a native of Little Rock, Arkansas, was an impactful member of the Nashville community where he lived for over 47 years. A graduate of Roosevelt University and the first African American to graduate from the University of...

John M. Flexner, M.D.After serving two years in the U.S. Navy, Dr. John M. Flexner earned an A.B. from Yale University and an M.D. from Johns Hopkins University. He completed his internship and residency at Vanderbilt and Yale and his fellowship training in hematology...

Richard L. (Dick) Miller, F.A.I.A., E.D.A.C. Richard (Dick) Miller earned a bachelor of architecture degree with honors from the University of Kansas in 1966. Shortly after graduating from college, Miller moved to Nashville and has remained an integral part of the...

Jonathan B. Perlin, M.D., Ph.D., M.H.S.A., M.A.C.P, F.A.C.M.IRecognized as one of the nation’s most influential health leaders, Dr. Jonathan Perlin has provided visionary direction for the Veterans Health Administration and HCA Healthcare, improving care for millions...

MONROE CARELL, JR.Born and raised in Nashville, Monroe Carell, Jr. served in the United States Navy before attending Vanderbilt University. In 1959, he graduated cum laude with an electrical engineering degree and began his business career, which culminated in his...

CAROL ETHERINGTON, M.S.N. R.N., F.A.A.N.After growing up in the midst of a multi-generational family anchored in neighborhoods filled with history and diversity, Carol Etherington earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing at Catherine Spalding College in Louisville...

JOHN HENRY HALE, M.D. & MILLIE E. HALEDr. John Henry Hale graduated from Walden University and MeHarry Medical College while Mille E. Hale, his wife, was a graduate of Fisk’s Normal School and the Graduate School for Nurses in New York City. When Mrs. Hale...

LYNN MASSINGALE, M.D.After earning his Bachelor of Science from Tennessee Wesleyan College and his medical degree from the University of Tennessee Center for Health Sciences, Dr. Lynn Massingale completed his internship in internal medicine at the University of...

William Schaffner, M.D.After receiving his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College and completing his residency, Dr. William Schaffner was invited to join the Vanderbilt faculty, ultimately becoming a professor and chairing the Department of Preventive...

Matthew Walker, Sr., M.D.One of the most prominent African American doctors in the United States in the 20th century, Dr. Matthew Walker began his medical profession with residencies at Hubbard Hospital of Meharry Medical College and Freedman Hospital of Howard...

Dorothy Lavinia Brown, M.D.Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1919, Dr. Dorothy Lavinia Brown spent her youth at a New York orphanage. After graduating at the top of her class, Dr. Brown attended Bennett College before coming to Nashville to attend Meharry Medical...

William H. Frist, M.D.A Nashville native, Dr. William H. Frist graduated from Montgomery Bell Academy, Princeton University and Harvard Medical School before completing his fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine. Soon after, Dr....

Donald P. Pinkel, M.D.Born in Buffalo, New York, Dr. Donald Pinkel joined the U.S. Navy in 1944 and was sent to Cornell University as a pre-med student officer candidate before graduating from the University at Buffalo School of Medicine in 1951. While there, he...

Harry R. Jacobson, M.D.At the age of four, Dr. Harry Jacobson’s family immigrated to the United States from Germany. After growing up in Chicago and completing medical school at the University of Illinois, Dr. Jacobson trained in medicine at Johns Hopkins and in...

Joel C. GordonJoel C. Gordon graduated from the University of Kentucky with a B.S. in business management in June of 1951. After spending three years as an officer in the United States Air Force stationed in Europe, Gordon began his business career in Tennessee in...

Stanford Moore, Ph.D.Dr. Stanford Moore was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1913 and went on to attend and graduate from Nashville’s Peabody Demonstration School, now the University School of Nashville, and Vanderbilt University, where he earned summa cum laude honors...

Jack Bovender, Jr.A 40-year veteran of the health care industry, Jack O. Bovender, Jr. began his hospital administrative career in 1969 as a lieutenant in the United States Navy stationed at the Naval Regional Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia. Later, Mr....

Stanley Cohen, Ph.D.Dr. Stanley Cohen served as Professor of Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University for 41 years where he was responsible for the mentorship and education of many graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and fellow faculty members. Dr. Cohen received his...

Henry W. Foster, Jr. M.D., F.A.C.O.G.An Arkansas native, Dr. Henry Foster graduated valedictorian of his high school class, earned a BS from Morehouse College in Atlanta and received his M.D. from the University of Arkansas in 1958 where he was the only African...

Frank S. Groner, LL.D.Born in Texas, Dr. Frank Groner graduated from Baylor University in 1934 and began a legendary 46-year career as a health care executive beginning as the CEO of Southern Baptist Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana. He then assumed the leadership...

Paul E. Stanton, M.D. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Paul Stanton, Jr. graduated with his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Emory University in 1965. Shortly after, he earned his M.D. from the Medical College of Georgia. With an internship, residency and fellowship...

Colleen Conway Welch, Ph.D., C.N.M., F.A.A.N., F.A.C.N.M.Born in Iowa, Colleen Conway Welch attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and received her BSN in 1965. She went on to receive her MSN from the Catholic University of America and her nurse midwifery...

Thomas F. Frist, Sr., M.D.A native of Meridian, Mississippi, Dr. Thomas F. Frist, Sr. attended the University of Mississippi, where he started a transportation company that eventually employed 17 other students, the first evidence of his entrepreneurial spirit. But...

Thomas F. Frist, Jr., M.D.A Nashville native, Dr. Thomas “Tommy” Frist, Jr. is a graduate of Nashville’s Montgomery Bell Academy and Vanderbilt University. An entrepreneur at heart, Dr. Frist created a collegiate advertising company and earned his pilot license while...

Ernest W. Goodpasture, M.D.Born in 1886 near Clarksville, Ernest Goodpasture was a Tennessee native and 1907 graduate of Vanderbilt University. After obtaining his B.A., Dr. Goodpasture attended Johns Hopkins Medical School and served as a faculty member at Johns...

Jack C. MasseyBeginning his career as a pharmacist and small business owner, Jack C. Massey was born in Georgia, attended college in Florida and eventually relocated to Tennessee to build a career steeped in health care, business and investment. After selling his...

R. Clayton McWhorterCreating a career as both a health care clinician and businessman, R. Clayton McWhorter began making an impact on the health care industry as a pharmacist after obtaining his B.S. in pharmacy from Samford University. Upon noticing the expansion of...

David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D.Known across Nashville and beyond as a dedicated physician and scientist, Dr. David Satcher has devoted his career to advocating for the health and safety of all Americans by tackling issues not previously addressed nationally including...

Mildred T. Stahlman, M.D.The mother of modern neonatology, Dr. Mildred Stahlman is a native Tennessean and long-time Vanderbilt student, educator, researcher and physician. Graduating from Ward-Belmont College for Women, she matriculated to Vanderbilt University in...

Danny ThomasA radio, film and television entertainer and producer, Danny Thomas was born in Michigan in 1912 after his parents immigrated to America from Lebanon. Thomas began his career working in radio and eventually branched out to film and television. As a...