During the last four decades of the twentieth century, Dr. Pruitt became the most influential physician in the field of burns. His career in burns began during his residency when he was drafted into the United States Army and appointed as Chief, Burn Study Branch, United States Army Surgical Research Unit, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Subsequently, after completing surgical training and a deployment to Vietnam, he was appointed, in 1968, as Commander and Director, US Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR), a position he held until his retirement from the Army at the end of 1995.

During his tenure, the USAISR became a model of burn care, education, and productive research. As a solon in the field of burns and trauma, Dr. Pruitt has been invited to deliver innumerable prestigious eponymic lectureships, received every applicable award, honored by election to the presidency of nine surgical societies, and is the president-elect of the Shock Society (President 2007-2008), fulfilled countless visiting professorships, and many have sought his counsel.

However, his greatest and enduring legacy is the mentorship of a cadre of physicians who have become leaders not only in burn care and research but also in the broad field of medicine. The list includes 10 past presidents of the American Burn Association, 45 directors of burn centers and units in the United States and abroad, 17 departmental chairs, and present and past officers of the International Society for Burn Injuries.

In 1975, he was appointed Associate Editor of the Journal of Trauma and then, in 1994, its Editor, a position in which he continues to work.