The Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame inducted its 2023 class—made up of five Tennessee health care legends— on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at a ceremony held in Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts.
Since its inception in 2015, the Hall of Fame has inducted over 50 health care leaders. 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 by Belmont University, the McWhorter Society and the Nashville Health Care Council, a founding partner.
“At Belmont, we aim to be the leading Christ-centered university in the world, radically championing the pursuit of life abundant for all people. With that in mind – we are honored to host this celebration recognizing leaders we can look to as role models for their work in an industry that is so critical to the flourishing of all people,” said Belmont President Dr. Greg Jones. “It is a privilege to honor this year’s inductees — individuals who have made a significant impact on the health care landscape and who have collectively, alongside the inductees that have come before, secured our state’s status as the nation’s health care capital.”
While the Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame exists to recognize incredible health care leaders across the state, it also aids in raising money to support health care education and the future of the health care industry. The success of the Hall of Fame event, coupled with other McWhorter Society fundraising efforts, has raised a total of $3.7 million for health care endowed scholarships and other activities to sustain the Hall of Fame.
2023 Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame inductees include:
Wilsie S. Bishop, MSN, MSED, DPA: Professor and Vice President for Health Affairs Emerita at East Tennessee State University; Higher Education Administrator; long-tenured volunteer with Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges; recipient of the James T. Rogers Distinguished Leadership award; among the first group of nurses to be certified by the American Nurses Association for excellence in critical care neonatal nursing.
André L. Churchwell, MD: Senior Advisor to the Chancellor on Inclusion and Community Outreach for Vanderbilt University; Levi Watkins, Jr. M.D. Chair; Vanderbilt University Professor of Medicine (Cardiology), Radiology and Radiological Sciences, and Biomedical Engineering; first African American chief medical resident for Grady Memorial and as the inaugural minority affairs officer at Emory University School of Medicine; has dedicated his career to diversity, equity and inclusion and serving minority communities.
Vicky Gregg: Founding Partner, Guidon Partners; former CEO BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, one of the first women to lead a major health plan; pioneered the first commercial HMO plan in Tennessee along with the early Preferred Provider Organization model in the state; previously served as member of the National Commission on Healthcare Interoperability; was a catalyst for women and minorities to enter leadership roles within the BCBSTN organization.
Stephen Reynolds: President Emeritus and Senior Consultant, Baptist Memorial Health Care where he worked for 43 years, serving the organizations three-fold ministry of Christ: healing, teaching and preaching.
Philip A. Wenk, DDS: CEO, Delta Dental of Tennessee, serving for more than 25 years in leadership; grew Delta Dental to become the largest dental benefits carriers in the state; established a strong culture of corporate giving, often investing half of the company’s annual net profits into the community; established the Smile 180 foundation to support Tennessee’s charitable dental clinics, children’s hospitals and oral health education; named as one of the University of Tennessee’s “Top 100 Distinguished Alumni.”
A comprehensive list of the more than 50 individuals inducted since 2015 can be found on the Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame website.
Nominations for the 2024 class are open. The deadline for nominations is March 6, 2024.