Douglas Wright, Ph.D., is a Professor and Vice Chair of Research at the University of Kansas Medical Center Department of Anesthesiology. Dr. Wright completed his Ph.D. at the University of Kentucky and his postdoctoral training at Washington University. Dr. Wright’s current research addresses diseases and conditions that peripheral sensation and pain. His laboratory uses mouse genetic models to explore the pathogenesis of nerve dysfunction and pain and testing interventions through translational research in human patients suffering from peripheral nerve disease and pain. Dr. Wright's research is funded by R01 grants from the NIH. His work in diabetes complications has been recognized through a KUMC Faculty Research Investigator Award and a Cure Award from the American Diabetes Association. Dr. Wright has received numerous teaching and mentoring awards, including the prestigious William T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence and the KUMC Excellence in Mentoring Award. Since 2010, Dr. Wright has led the Kansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (K-INBRE), which supports research training and infrastructure at 10 Universities in Kansas and Oklahoma. Dr. Wright served as Co-PI on the SHARPHub Accelerator Hub to stimulate innovation and commercialization in the Central Region IDeA states and served as the President of the National Association of IDeA Principal Investigators (NAIPI). Dr. Wright served as the Chair of the International Diabetic Neuropathy Consortium (IDNC), a special interest group within the Peripheral Nerve Society. Dr. Wright has served as Director of several graduate programs at KUMC and has been a dedicated mentor to graduate students, medical and MD/PhD, and postdoctoral fellows. He is the Co-Director of an NIH T32 training grant to support graduate training in obesity complications.