Verna Wright

Verna Wright (1928-12-31–1998-01-31) was an evangelist, physician and research scientist specializing in rheumatology at Leeds University and co-founder of United Beach Missions.

Biography
Wright studied medicine at Liverpool University, then spent two years at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. As an actively practicing evangelical Christian, Wright helped to found United Beach Missions, an organization whose goal was to preach the Christian gospel message to vacationers in Llandudno. The organization, under his leadership, grew to over 3000 people, ministering on the beaches of Britain, France and Belgium. Wright was also named as Chairman for the youth outreach organization Young Life. Throughout his ministry work, Wright focused on the "grass roots" approach, which particularly appealed to his young audience.

After gaining his MD, Wright began lecturing at Leeds University for two years before becoming a research fellow at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. In 1964 he returned to Leeds as a consultant physician and senior lecturer. He helped establish a specialist rheumatology unit there. His research was characterized by a multidisciplinary approach. including engineering and pharmacology. He is partly responsible for establishing the field of rehabilitation medicine as a speciality in its own right. Wright accurately predicted genetic links between different forms of arthritis prior to the the development of laboratory tests which would later prove him correct.

Wright was a "Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians" (FRCP), an elected title associated with the Royal College of Physicians of London. He served as chairman of the Arthritis and Rheumatism Council, was the co-director of the Bioengineering Group for the study of Human Joints and President of the Creation Science Movement in England.

While at Leeds, Wright wrote or co-authored over 1000 scientific papers and 21 books. When faced with impending death, Wright said, "When you see the tape, you run faster". Upon his death, a Leeds hospital hung its flag at half mast, indicating the respect with which he was regarded.