UMMC Honors Thigpen with Pierce Chair in Internal Medicine

Dr. Calvin Thigpen, professor of medicine and director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, has been named the Dr. Paul W. Pierce III Chair in Internal Medicine. The appointment unites two physicians, both shaped by a deep commitment to the practice of internal medicine and a shared passion for mentorship. 

The legacy of the chair’s namesake, Dr. Paul Williamson “Bill” Pierce III is that of a leader and a dedicated physician. Though, medicine was not his first profession. 

In 1968, he left behind a career in engineering and military service to pursue his medical degree at UMMC. Second lieutenant in the Army, Pierce served 13 months in Korea before coming home to Vicksburg to join the Army Corps of Engineers. 

“One Sunday afternoon, he had been at the Army reserve, and he came in and said ‘I’m going to medical school,’” said his wife, Patricia Hand Pierce. “And just like that, he made the decision to go to medical school.” 

After completing residency in 1975, he went on to devote more than forty-six years to community practice in Vicksburg, caring for generations of families and eventually practicing alongside his own sons, Dr. Paul Pierce IV and Dr. Sam Pierce. 

In 2020, his wife established an endowment in his honor to support future generations of internal medicine physicians. With Mrs. Pierce’s continued support along with generous gifts from family and friends, the endowment reached $1 million to establish the chair.

“This was something we always wanted to do,” she said. “Dr. Pierce and our sons all went to UMMC for school and completed residency there. He wanted to give back, and this was our way of doing that. 

“Bill was a great teacher in his own right, and he mentored the people who worked for him. He loved his patients; he was very generous. His top priority was always his patients. He worked tirelessly to ensure they always had the quality care that he thought they deserved.” 

“Dr. Pierce was an outstanding member of the medical community, and we are honored to have his name and reputation permanently tied to our institution,” said Dr. Michael Hall, the Patrick H. Lehan Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine and professor and chair of the Department of Medicine. “This endowed fund in the Department of Medicine will have an immense impact on those who, like Dr. Pierce, come to train at UMMC.” 

Reflecting those qualities, Thigpen has been a pillar of the Department of Medicine’s clinical and educational programs since joining the faculty in 2012. 

He has led professional societies at the state and regional levels and has been honored repeatedly for his excellence in teaching, mentorship and clinical care including serving as Governor of the Mississippi Chapter of the American College of Physicians and President of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation. 

Across more than a decade, he has been recognized with multiple Teacher of the Year awards, induction into the Carl G. Evers Society Hall of Fame, acknowledgment of clinical teaching through the Nelson Order and the Trailblazer Award, the Impact Award from the Jackson Free Clinic and most recently, Mastership in the American College of Physicians — one of the organization’s highest honors. 

“I believe one of the best features of our Internal Medicine department is the outstanding staff and that starts with Dr. Thigpen,” said Dr. Jack Harkins, an internal medicine resident. “He is always looking for ways to help us improve, progress and ultimately become the best physicians we can become. He leads not only in his words but in his actions as he exemplifies the attitude and dedication it takes to deliver high quality care to patients day in and day out.” 

For Thigpen, the chair represents both an honor and a responsibility — to steward the department’s future with the same integrity Pierce demonstrated across his career. 

“The vision we created for our educational mission in our department nearly five years ago was ‘Educate. Mentor. Inspire,’” said Thigpen. “With this very gracious gift we will be able to do exactly that by developing all our people more fully. 

“For our faculty, this will mean giving them opportunities to develop expertise as educators and mentors. For the young physicians in our residency and fellowship training programs this will mean giving them the skills and tools to deliver the best quality care to their patients, to contribute to the medical literature and to educate the generation that comes behind them both now and in the future. For our administrative staff, this will mean connecting them with the professional resources that will enhance their ability to execute the operations that make our mission and vision possible. We will be forever grateful for the positive change that this gift from Mrs. Pierce and her family and friends will bring and for the life of Dr. Paul Pierce and his significant impact on so many.”