Photo by Laura Petrilla

Vonda Wright, M.D., is an orthopaedic surgeon, speaker, author and researcher. One of the few women in orthopaedic surgery, she currently practices at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Dr. Wright specializes in sports medicine and is the Director of P.R.I.M.A: the Performance and Research Initiative for Masters Athletes. In these roles she cares for athletes and active agers over 40, from weekend warriors to elite competitors, while conducting research focused on athletes over 40.

She was the research coordinator for the 2005 Summer National Senior Games - The Senior Olympics, held in Pittsburgh. Since 2003, Dr. Wright has been looking at health research data related to Senior Olympians, with the hypothesis that athletes over age 40 who maintain high levels of functional capacity and quality of life throughout their life spans may be the best model of healthy aging.

A valuable source of information for healthy aging and orthopaedic issues, Dr. Wright has been quoted in many national publications, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, CNN.com and MSNBC, as well as numerous regional publications. She is often quoted in magazines such as Maxim, Best Life, Prevention and Arthritis Today. She also has made numerous television appearances, including segments on ABC Health News and CBS affiliate KDKA-TV's Pittsburgh TODAY Live. Dr. Wright serves on the medical advisory board of the National Arthritis Foundation and RaceNation.com, a premier web-based racing site.

Photo by Laura Petrilla

She received her bachelor's degree in biology from Wheaton College, in Wheaton, Ill., her master's degree in oncology nursing from Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, and her medical degree from the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago. Dr. Wright served her residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh and completed a fellowship in Sports Medicine and Shoulder surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City before returning to the UPMC Center for Sports Medicine.

An athlete herself, Dr. Wright joined her father, a senior athlete and avid runner at age 68, in their third Chicago marathon. She can be reached at seniorsportsandfitness.com.