Rick W. Wright, MD, is the Dan Spengler Professor and Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he also serves as Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President for Clinical Affairs. A board-certified orthopedic surgeon with subspecialty certification in sports medicine, Dr. Wright specializes in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, meniscus injuries, collateral ligament injuries, shoulder disorders, fractures, and complex sports-related conditions.
Dr. Wright earned his medical degree at the University of Missouri-Columbia, followed by his internship and residency in orthopedic surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He completed a sports medicine fellowship at the Minneapolis Sports Medicine Center. He previously served as the Jerome J. Gilden Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Executive Vice Chair at Washington University in St. Louis before returning to Vanderbilt.
An internationally recognized leader in orthopedic sports medicine, Dr. Wright has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications. He is a founding member of the MOON (Multicenter Orthopaedic Outcome Network) Research Group and serves as the NIH-funded principal investigator for the MARS (Multicenter ACL Revision Study) Research Group. His work has shaped national and international guidelines for the care of ACL and complex knee injuries.
Dr. Wright has held leadership roles across the field, including President of the American Orthopaedic Association (2018–2019), President of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (2019–2020), and he is currently in the presidential line for the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM).
He has been recognized with numerous honors, including the AOSSM Cabaud Memorial Award, the O’Donoghue Clinical Research Award, the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Charles Neer Award, and the Orthopaedic Research Society Kappa Delta Ann Doner Vaughn Award. His dedication to education has also been honored with the Palma Chironis Teaching Award and the Lee T. Ford, MD Award for Academic Achievement from Washington University.