University of Mississippi (UMMC) Original School of Medicine Hall of Portraits

This entry discusses the University of Mississippi Medical Center's Hall of Portraits. To locate this section of the UMMC campus, you will find it as soon as you approach the entrance to the School of Medicine that is adjacent to the Peachtree Street roundabout alongside Lot D. As soon as you enter, you will immediately be greeted by portraits of various physicians on maroon marble walls. If you walk up and turn to the right, down the hall towards the central elevators you will find more portraits with a final grouping of nine. These nine portraits are of UMMC's earliest chairs in their respective departments. Six of the nine individuals can be described as "Triple Threats," meaning that they were excellent teachers, clinicians, and researchers. This is a quality rarely ever seen since the retirement of these men. These nine former department heads in particular laid the foundation and paved a path for UMMC to thrive since its inception in 1955. In this stop on our history tour, be prepared to be introduced to who these department heads were, why they are so important, as well as the criteria used to place them on the wall. This hall of distinguished individuals can inspire all of us to achieve excellence in our respective passions.

"Do you have photos of family and friends in your living room? If so, then why? Is it for nostalgia, a way of paying respect, tribute or even just an excuse to reminisce on the good times? Well the very same reasons you put up these photos could very well be the same reason UMMC puts up photos all over their center."

As noted above, six of the nine portraits at the end of the hall were considered 'triple threats' in that they were excellent teachers, clinicians, and researchers. When UMMC opened its doors to patients in July 1955 and to students in September of that same year, there was immense pressure on the then department heads to be competent in what they did so that UMMC could gain esteem and thrive. The people that taught medical school classes were the same people that provided patient care, and were also the same people you would find in laboratories and in operating rooms doing research and performing experiments. An example of this is Dr. James D. Hardy, who performed transplant surgery to help save patients' lives, taught classes to future surgical residents, and also performed multiple surgical experiments in his research endeavors. The tradition of putting up individualized portraits eventually ended due to there now being over 22 departments at UMMC which periodically change department heads. Tasks can now be appropriately distributed, thus cutting out the need or possibility of the 'triple threat' quality. Twenty-first century medicine is much farther advanced than in the days of triple threats, more is known, doctors practice in more specialized ways, and medical research is done through specialized, methodical experimentation.

The first department 'head' we will highlight is none other than the late great Dr. Arthur C. Guyton. Dr. Guyton was one of the founding chairs of UMMC; and even helped recruit another individual who is on the wall with him - Dr. James D. Hardy, a leading light by many measures. Dr. Guyton had been the chairman of physiology at the main Ole Miss Oxford campus since 1948. During this time, Ole Miss only had a two-year medical school and would send its M3 and M4 students to finish their clinical practices at medical schools out of state. Guyton became chairman of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the Medical Center from 1955 until his retirement in 1989. Guyton's achievements include authoring the best-selling medical textbook of all time and being the premier inventor of helpful machinery like the electric wheelchair among others.

The second department head in our highlights is Dr. James D. Hardy. When he was newly appointed as the Chairman of Surgery at UMMC, he was actually teaching at the University of Tennessee. He was Chairman of the Department of Surgery form 1955 until his retirement in 1987. Dr. Hardy was an undeniable trailblazer and innovator in the world of health as he led the world's first human lung transplant in 1963 and the world's first heart transplant in 1964. Every flame needs a spark and Hardy was the spark that lit the fire of surgery at UMMC for years to come.

Our third department head who is also a crucial component of UMMC's history is Dr. Blair. E. Batson. With a warm and welcoming face as he had, it's no surprise that he was the first chair of pediatrics at UMMC. Dr. Batson is considered the father of organized pediatrics in Mississippi. He is the youngest person to have ever become a department chair at UMMC at the age of 34; and he joined UMMC in 1955, just 2 months after the medical center opened its doors. He was also the mentor and residency supervisor of Dr. Aaron Shirley, the first ever African-American learner at UMMC. He truly left behind an incredible legacy, hence UMMC's Children's Hospital is named after him.

Other portraits of early department chairs are Dr. Orlando J. Andy, who was the premier professor and Chairman of Neurosurgery. Dr. Wilfred R. Gillis was the professor and Chairman of Family Medicine. Dr. Warren N. Bell was the professor and chairman of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Dr. Harper K. Hellems was the professor and Chairman of the Department of Medicine, and Dr. James L. Hughes who was the professor and Chairman of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation. Dr. Hughes is the only surviving member of this esteemed group.

The reason why we study and honor those who came before us is so that we understand how we got to where we are today and how the foundation set by these individuals continues to shape the trajectory of UMMC in the present. Some may ask, "Well since there aren't any 'triple threat' department heads anymore, how can any of the leaders at UMMC today match up to such a high standard?" The answer to such a question can be found through a response by Dr. Ralph Didlake, Associate Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs, who said that nowadays UMMC wants leaders "who are not transactional, but are transformational," meaning that modern medical leaders should be able to envision and achieve positive change as needed. The old era of medicine represented by the portraits is a reminder of the literal blood, sweat, and sometimes tears that had to go into reducing the mortality in Mississippi and across the globe.

R. Didlake, personal communication, March 3, 2021.  

Quinn, Janis. 2005. Promises Kept. Jackson. University Press of Mississippi.

University of Mississippi Medical Center. 2021. Dr. James D. Hardy. [online] Available at: <https://www.umc.edu/UMMC/About-Us/History/James-Hardy/Hardy-Overview.html> [Accessed 31 March 2021]. 

University of Mississippi Medical Center. 2021. Dr. Arthur C. Guyton. [online] Available at: <https://www.umc.edu/UMMC/About-Us/History/Arthur-Guyton/Guyton-Overview.html> [Accessed 31 March 2021]. 

University of Mississippi Medical Center. 2021. Dr. Blair E. Batson, first pediatrics chair at UMMC, dies at age 98. [online] Available at: <https://www.umc.edu/news/News_Articles/2018/11/BatsonObit.html> [Accessed 31 March 2021]. 

https://www.umc.edu/news/News_Articles/2018/11/BatsonObit.html (Batson) 

https://www.umc.edu/UMMC/About-Us/History/Arthur-Guyton/Guyton-Overview.html (Guyton) 

https://www.umc.edu/UMMC/About-Us/History/James-Hardy/Hardy-Overview.html (Hardy) 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2194464/?page=2 (Harper K Hellems) 

https://www.umc.edu/som/Departments%20and%20Offices/SOM%20Departments/Orthopaedic-Surgery-and-Rehabilitation/About-Us/Hughes-Chair.html (Hughes) 

http://www.inmemoriam.ca/view-announcement-2376340-dr-wilfred-gillis.html (Gillis) 

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/fullarticle/265743 (Johnson) 

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/785126 (Currier)