UPMC’s Dr. Vonda Wright to Speak at Carnegie Mellon University

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University Department of Athletics Recreation and Physical Education will welcome guest speaker Dr. Vonda Wright on Friday, January 20. Wright, who is an Orthopedic Surgeon and Director of the Performance and Research Initiative for Masters Athletes (PRIMA) at the UPMC Center for Sports Medicine, will speak in McConomy Auditorium in Carnegie Mellon’s University Center at 12:00 p.m. Her talk is open to the campus community as well as the general public.

In conjunction with the Athletics Department’s 2012 Fitness Challenge theme of "Strive to Thrive," Wright’s main emphasis will be about being strong at any age.

“Dr. Wright is a national leader in sports medicine and sports performance. We are excited to welcome her to Carnegie Mellon and look forward to hearing her message about lifelong health, fitness and physical well-being,” said Director of Athletics Susan Bassett.

Wright specializes in sports medicine and works to optimize patients’ mobility. She is director of the Performance and Research Initiative for Masters Athletes (PRIMA), a service to help both aging athletes and sedentary adults over age 40 to remain fit and perform their best. A valuable source of information for healthy aging, sports medicine and orthopedic issues, Dr. Wright has been cited in numerous national news publications, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, CNN.com and MSNBC; as well as in the national magazines AARP, Prevention, SELF and Runners World.

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. (Full Bio)