This fall, the University of Louisville School of Medicine celebrates an incredible milestone:  Jesse Wright, professor of psychiatry and founding director of the UofL Depression Center, marks 50 years of service to the field of academic psychiatry. An internationally recognized expert in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Dr. Wright’s half-century of work has not only shaped the training of thousands of physicians but also transformed the way mental health care is delivered and understood across the Commonwealth and beyond.

What began as a fascination with the human mind evolved into a lifelong commitment to improving the mental health of individuals and communities. Dr. Wright’s career has spanned eras of significant transformation in psychiatry, from the early days of institutional care to today’s integrated, patient-centered approaches. Through it all, one thing has remained constant: his dedication to service.

“When I started, there was a deep stigma around mental illness, even within the medical community,” Wright reflected in a recent national interview. “Over the years, I’ve seen that stigma slowly give way to greater compassion and scientific understanding. But there’s still work to be done.”

Dr. Wright became a pioneer of implementing CBT into mainstream practice, helping countless patients gain tools to manage depression, anxiety and trauma. His work in digital mental health tools, including interactive software programs that extend therapy beyond the clinic, positioned UofL as a leader in innovation. His efforts helped establish partnerships and programs that extended care to underserved populations and equipped clinicians with more adaptable, evidence-based methods.

Beyond his clinical and research contributions, Dr. Wright’s impact is most deeply felt in the generations of physicians he has mentored. He has trained hundreds of residents and medical students consistently emphasizing the importance of compassion, curiosity and community engagement.

“Mentorship is one of the greatest privileges of academic medicine,” he said. “I want the residents I train to not only become excellent clinicians, but also advocates for their patients, their communities and for the mental health care.”

Throughout his career, Dr. Wright has earned international accolades, published widely and led professional organizations, but he remains grounded in the local impact of his work. From counseling patients during moments of personal crisis to shaping statewide public health campaigns, his belief in psychiatry as a tool for service has never wavered.

“Dr. Wright’s legacy is not only measured in decades, but in lives changed,” said Jeffrey Bumpous, dean of the School of Medicine. “He exemplifies the spirit of service that defines our school. His unwavering commitment to mental health education, research and advocacy has made him a cornerstone of our institution and our community.”

As the School of Medicine honors Dr. Wright this fall, his 50 years of service stand as a testament to the power of persistence, empathy and community-focused care. His legacy is not only in what he has built, but in the many hands he has guided to carry that work forward.

About Dr. Jesse Wright

In addition to being the founding director of the UofL Depression Center and the recipient of several major multi-million-dollar grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) throughout his career, Dr. Wright is the Gisela and Gottfried Kolb Endowed Chair of Outpatient Psychiatry at UofL and has received the Dean’s Distinguished Educator Award for Lifetime Achievement in Teaching. 

Dr. Wright, in addition to research and teaching, is dedicated to providing more avenues of learning for those interested in psychiatry. A published novelist, Dr. Wright writes about key issues in psychiatry, including trauma and stigma. Additionally, the Jesse H. Wright, MD, PhD research endowment at UofL funds research grants annually to UofL faculty and students for fundamental studies on mood disorders.