Vonda Wright

Vonda Wright is a double-boarded, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon and leading expert on active aging and mobility. Her practice focuses on minimally invasive hip preservation, shoulder and knee reconstruction, cartilage restoration, orthobiologics, and performance optimisation across all ages and activity levels.

An innovative intra-preneur, Wright founded the Performance and Research Initiative for Masters Athletes (PRIMA), pioneering research that has redefined how clinicians approach mobility and musculoskeletal aging. She has cared for elite performers including Division I Georgia State Panthers, Pens Elite hockey, World Rugby 7’s, Olympic track and field athletes, and the Atlanta Ballet, and is a thought leader in the emerging field of E-Sports medicine. Wright has served as President of Hughston Orthopaedics Southeast, founding Chief of Northside Hospital Orthopedic Institute Sports Medicine in Atlanta, and inaugural Medical Director of the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, home of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

A prolific researcher and author, Wright’s work on lifelong exercise, musculoskeletal aging, and stem cell biology has been funded by the AAOS, AOSSM, and Department of Defense. She has published extensively and authored five books, including Unbreakable: A Woman’s Guide to Aging with Power, Fitness After 40: Your Strong Body at 40, 50, 60, and Beyond, Guide to THRIVE: 4 Steps to Body, Brains & Bliss, Younger in 8 Weeks and Masterful Care of the Aging Athlete. Her expertise has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Oprah Daily, US News & World Report, Runner’s World, and CNBC, and she has appeared on national television programs such as The Dr. Oz Show and The Doctors. She also serves on the Sharecare Medical Advisory Board.

She earned her BS from Wheaton College, a second BS and MS in Oncology Nursing from Rush University, and her MD from the University of Chicago. She completed her orthopedic residency at the University of Pittsburgh and a fellowship in Sports and Shoulder Surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery.