Belmont University announced today its 2022 class of Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame inductees. Honorees will be recognized at a celebration and reception at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, October 18.
With a mission to honor those who have made significant and lasting contributions to the health and health care industries, the Hall of Fame was created in 2015 by Belmont University, the McWhorter Society and the Nashville Health Care Council, a founding partner.
The nomination process began in January and was open to practitioners, executives, entrepreneurs, mentors, teachers, scientists, researchers, innovators or any person with a connection to the health or health care field who:
- Was born, lived or worked in Tennessee
- Made a significant impact and lasting contribution to health care at the local, state, national or international level
- Exhibits the highest ethical and professional character
- Serves as an outstanding role model in their community
Among the accomplished nominees, inductees were chosen by a selection committee made up of health care leaders in various sectors from across the state. Selected inductees represent some of Tennessee’s greatest health and health care pioneers, leaders and innovators.
“It is a great honor to celebrate the significant work of our five inductees this year. As we work to establish Belmont’s Thomas F. Frist Jr. College of Medicine and building on our Colleges of Health Sciences & Nursing and Pharmacy, we are inspired by their meaningful contributions to healthcare,” said Belmont President Dr. Greg Jones. “These physicians and leaders have paved the way for the future of health care, providing inspiration to our students who will one day emulate their efforts. Each honoree has championed health and well-being for all through their work in health care access, research and education to help our Tennessee communities flourish.”
The 2022 Health Care Hall of Fame inductees are:
• Reginald Coopwood, M.D.: President and Chief Executive Officer of Regional One Health; Former Chief Executive Officer of Metropolitan Nashville Hospital Authority; Former Chief Medical Officer of Nashville General Hospital at Meharry Medical College
• David W. Gregory, M.D.: Professor Emeritus at Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Founder, Medical Director and Chairman of the board at Siloam Health; Oscar E. Edwards National Award for Volunteerism and Community Service recipient; American College of Physicians member, 2006; 40+ year career in internal medicine and infectious disease.
• Ned Ray McWherter: 46th Governor of Tennessee (1987-1995); Former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives; Former member of the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service; Led the Tennessee General Assembly to pass legislation to create a medical school at East Tennessee State University and replace the state’s Medicaid program with TennCare.
• Ching-Hon Pui, M.D.: Chair of the Department of Oncology and the Fahad Nassar Al-Rashid Chair of Leukemia at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; Co-Director of the Hematological Malignancies Program for St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center; Director of the St. Jude China Program; American Cancer Society Professor
• Randy Wykoff, M.D., M.P.H.&T.M.: Founding Dean of East Tennessee State University’s College of Public Health; Former Senior Vice President for International Operations at Project HOPE; Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Former Associate Commissioner for Operations for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Board-certified pediatrics and preventive medicine physician with certification in tropical medicine
In addition to recognizing Tennessee’s most influential health and health care leaders, the Hall of Fame serves as an ongoing educational resource to document the rich history that has contributed to Tennessee’s position as the nation’s health care capital.
Sponsors of this year’s Induction Ceremony contribute to the long-term viability of the Hall of Fame and the McWhorter Society Scholarship Program, which benefits students pursuing careers in the health sciences. Since the inception of the McWhorter Society and the Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame, more than $3.6 million has been raised to support McWhorter Society Endowed Scholarships, with more than 176 scholarship recipients since 2014.
A comprehensive list of Hall of Fame inductees since 2015—along with information on sponsorship opportunities for the October 18 induction event—can be found on the Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame website.
