Guest: Dr. Mel Pinn

In this month’s edition of “The Family Doctor: Lessons Learned, Wisdom Shared”, Dr. Thomas White talks with the legendary Dr Mel Pinn. If you are not familiar with Dr Pinn and his career, you absolutely need to listen to this interview! You will hear about his growing up in segregated Lynchburg Virginia, his title of “the best marbles shooter ever”, and his career as a collegiate tennis star. Dr, Pinn is also  a military veteran, and former NCAFP and AAFP Family Physician of the Year, Dr Pinn served as Medical Director of the Neighborhood Family Health Center in Charlotte NC for years, caring for patients and families who previously had very limited access to the health care system. In this podcast, you will learn about the oldest hospital in the country devoted to serving African-American patients, and what well-known landmark now stands on its original grounds. You will be inspired by Dr Pinn’s sense of commitment to community, his nonjudgmental approach to patients, and his admonition that we as Family Physicians should “fight” for our patients and participate in the political process on their behalf. There is much to be unpacked here! Listen and benefit!  In this edition, we also respectfully pay tribute to our friend, colleague, and role model, Dr Ophelia Garmon-Brown, who passed away after a long fight with cancer on November 17 2021.