Jesse H. Wright M.D.,
Ph.D
Dr. Jesse Wright is a
Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and
Chief of Adult Psychiatry at the University of Louisville. He is a
recognized authority in the treatment of depression and related problems.
Dr. Wright lectures widely on the use of cognitive therapy, medications,
and other forms of psychiatric treatment. He graduated from Jefferson
Medical College in Philadelphia and completed a residency in psychiatry at
the University of Michigan.
Together with Dr. Monica Basco, Dr. Wright authored Getting Your Life Back: The Complete Guide to Recovery from Depression. In this powerful self-help book, the authors show people how to bring together the best methods of scientifically tested treatments in the fight against depression. He also is the principal author of Good Days Ahead, the first DVD-ROM, interactive computer program for combating depression and anxiety.
Dr. Wright’s research
has focused on the development of innovative treatment methods for
depression such as the use of computer tools to assist therapists and
patients in the recovery process. With a team of collaborators including
Doctors Andrew Wright and Aaron Beck. he wrote and produced the first
multimedia computer program for psychotherapy. He has published
extensively on topics such as cognitive therapy of depression,
computer-assisted treatment, and how to combine cognitive therapy and
pharmacotherapy. As the Founding President of the Academy of Cognitive
Therapy, Dr. Wright has played a major role in developing internationally
recognized standards for the practice of this effective treatment
approach.
Andrew S. Wright,
M.D.
Doctor Andrew Wright graduated from Williams College where he was active
in research, designing computer applications, and in the performing
arts. He received his medical degree from the University of
Louisville. Dr. Wright is currently involved in basic research on
cancer and on applying new technologies to solve health care problems.
Aaron T. Beck M.D., PhD
A native of Providence, Rhode Island,
Aaron T. Beck had an interest in psychiatry as far back as he can
remember. At Brown University, he was associate editor of the Brown Daily
Herald and received a number of honors and awards, including Phi Beta
Kappa, the Francis Wayland Scholarship, the Bennet Essay Award, and the
Gaston Prize for Oratory. After graduating magna cum laude in 1942, he
embarked on a career in medicine at Yale Medical School. He served a
rotating internship, followed by a residency in pathology at the Rhode
Island Hospital. Although initially interested in psychiatry, he found the
then current approaches to be nihilistic and unrewarding and decided on a
career in neurology, attracted by the high degree of precision that
characterized this discipline. During his residency in neurology at the
Cushing Veterans Administration Hospital in Framingham, MA, a required
rotation in psychiatry intrigued him with some of the more recent
developments in the field. He spent two years as a fellow at Austin Riggs
Center at Stockbridge where he had a substantial experience in conducting
long-term psychotherapy. The Korean War shifted Beck's area of work to the
Valley Forge Army Hospital where he was Assistant Chief of
Neuropsychiatry.
Beck joined the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Pennsylvania in 1954 and is currently University Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry. He initially conducted research into the psychoanalytic theories of depression, but when these were disconfirmed, he developed a different theoretical-clinical approach that he labeled cognitive therapy. His work is currently supported by a 10-year M.E.R.I.T. Award from the National Institute of Mental Health and a grant from the Centers for Disease Control for a study to determine the efficacy and effectiveness of a short-term cognitive therapy intervention for suicide attempters. Since 1959 he has directed funded research investigations of the psychopathology of depression, suicide, anxiety disorders, panic disorders, alcoholism, drug abuse, and personality disorders and of cognitive therapy of these disorders. He has published over 375 articles and fourteen books.
Beck has been a member or consultant for several review panels of the National Institute of Mental Health, served on the editorial boards of many journals, and lectured throughout the world. He was a visiting scientist of the Medical Research Council at Oxford and is a visiting fellow of Wolfson College. In recent years, in his capacity as consultant for psychiatric hospitals, HMO's, and managed care organizations, he has set up inpatient, partial hospitalization, and outpatient programs organized according to the cognitive therapy model. He has also introduced cognitive therapy into the treatment of medical patients at several HMO's.
Beck has been married for 49 years and has four children and eight grandchildren.