From the age of 4, Pinn was interested in a medical career, especially since she assisted both sets of her grandparents with their health concerns (including some insulin injections) and observed the relief they experienced after a doctor visit.

She took a leave of absence from college during sophomore year to care for her mother, who was ailing from a metastatic bone tumor; the cancer had been erroneously diagnosed as arthritis.

[3] In 1967, Pinn earned a medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, where she was the only woman and only African-American student in her class.

That training spurred her lifelong interests in research and academic medicine, forming the basis for Pinn's eventual career in renal and transplant pathology.

[7] In her 20 years as ORWH director, Pinn employed her position as a federal policymaker to raise awareness of women's health issues and underrepresentation in science and medicine worldwide, across educational, political and cultural communities.

[8] At NIH in 1998, Pinn briefed Sarah, Duchess of York, on medical research topics and major health messages regarding women.

She said as more people migrate to the world's cities, local governments are often outpaced to provide adequate systems for housing, sanitation, electricity, and water for citizens.

[10] In 2011, Pinn led a group of NIH staffers in a meeting with actress Geena Davis to discuss how girls and women are perceived based on their roles in children's films, television shows, and video games.

She told the nearly 5,000 graduates, accompanied by some 25,000 family members and guests, I learned then, and have confirmed as years go by, that we can either dwell in the smallness of slights or difficulties, or rejoice in the larger meanings of life's experiences, and build a positive, constructive, and worldly view of barriers we have faced, and the satisfaction of having overcome them.

[15] In 2013, Pinn received the Foremother Award from the National Center for Health Research for her remarkable contributions to the lives of women in our country.

[19] She was honored by a statement read into the Congressional Record by Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), upon Pinn's retirement which acknowledged her public service and dedication to women's health and leadership roles in research and academia.