Dr. Wright is best known for her pioneering work in chemotherapy. At a time when surgery and radiation were the primary treatments for cancer, she explored the potential of chemotherapy to treat the disease. Wright’s research involved studying the effects of various drugs on tumors and in 1951 with the help of her team she was the first to identify methotrexate, which was one of the foundational chemotherapy drugs against cancerous tumors. 

Wright’s early work brought chemotherapy out of the realm of an untested, experimental hypothetical treatment, into the realm of tested, proven effective cancer treatment—thus saving millions of lives. 

Throughout her career, Dr. Wright broke barriers. She became the first woman to be named associate dean of New York Medical College and was also the highest-ranking African American woman in a U.S. medical school at the time. In 1964, she co-founded the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), an organization that continues to be influential in cancer research and treatment.

Dr. Wright’s research and leadership in the field of oncology have had a lasting impact and her legacy lives on as a trailblazer who helped transform chemotherapy into a viable and powerful tool in the fight against cancer.