Dr. Don Wright has served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health and Director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) since January 2012. In this capacity, he leads the coordination and policy development for public health and prevention activities within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
As Director of ODPHP, Dr. Wright provides leadership for Healthy People 2020, a framework for public health priorities and actions comprised of a comprehensive set of ten year national health objectives; oversees the development of evidence-based health policies such as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, and national action plans that address adverse drug events and health care-associated infections; and serves as the Chief Medical Advisor for healthfinder.gov. Dr. Wright also serves as the acting Executive Director of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition.
Prior to joining ODPHP, Dr. Wright served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Healthcare Quality and Acting Director of the Office of Research Integrity. From 2007 to 2009, he was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. During this time, he also served as the alternate U.S. delegate to the World Health Organization Executive Board. Prior to joining HHS, Dr. Wright was Director of the Office of Occupational Medicine for the U.S. Department of Labor.
Dr. Wright received his undergraduate degree from Texas Tech University, a medical degree from the University of Texas, and an M.P.H. from the Medical College of Wisconsin. He completed his family medicine residency training at Baylor College of Medicine and is board-certified in both Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.