S. Wright Caughman Death, Obituary – With the passing of S. Wright Caughman, MD, Emory University has lost one of its most significant, esteemed, and beloved leaders. On August 22, 2024, Caughman gently went away at his house. He was a physician, researcher, director of The Emory Clinic, chair of the Department of Dermatology, executive vice president for health affairs (EVPHA), chair of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center (WHSC), chair of the Emory Healthcare Board of Directors, and more during his more than 30 years of service to the university.
Caughman started teaching English to high school students in Columbia, South Carolina, where he grew up, after graduating from Davidson College. After that, he decided to become a doctor and earned an M.D. from the Medical University of South Carolina. He subsequently finished his dermatology residency at Harvard Medical School and was chief resident there.
Following his tenure as a medical officer and primary investigator at the National Cancer Institute’s dermatology branch, he became a dermatology faculty member at Emory University in 1990. Aside from his roles as an instructor and staff physician at Grady Memorial Hospital, The Emory Clinic, and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Caughman also served as the chair of the dermatology department at Emory University for four years after becoming director of research there.
He was on the faculty of the Winship Cancer Institute, conducted research at the Emory Skin Diseases Research Center, and was a member of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences’ Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences.
He oversaw a thriving cutaneous biology research program for a long time and served as co-chair of the research strategy plans for the School of Medicine from 1997 to 2003. He assumed the role of chair of the dermatology department in 1997.
In his 2004 appointment as director of the Emory Clinic and vice president for clinical integration, Caughman oversaw the center’s strategic plan to revolutionize health and healing, as well as its coordination, implementation, and management.
He served with distinction as the chair of the board for Emory Healthcare from 2010 to 2015, in addition to being designated executive vice president for health affairs and CEO of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center. Caughman was in charge of a number of accomplishments that were good for Emory and its constituents. During the period, for instance:
According to the University Health System Consortium, two of Emory’s hospitals are among the best in the country. Clinicians at Emory University were the first in the United States to treat Ebola patients, and they were successful.
Even though the economy was in a rough spot, Emory’s research funding kept going up. The curriculum and enrollment opportunities at Emory’s three health sciences schools expanded within the past year.
Emory University’s remarkable research trajectory was expedited with the joint construction of the Health Sciences Research Building by WHSC and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Charity care at Emory Healthcare reached new heights.
Emory Report launched a profile of Caughman when he first became the head of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center, saying, “Dr. Wright Caughman can diagnose a melanoma or diagram a sentence with equal precision.” One of his unique talents was alluded to in this line.
He was a dedicated member of the Emory community and an outspoken supporter of academic excellence in all its forms; he was also an accomplished researcher, a seasoned veteran of the health sciences center, and an exceptional clinician. The health sciences were just the beginning of his knowledge of and enthusiasm for Emory.
He cared deeply for the academic and artistic programs, the wellness of the entire Emory community, and the quest for knowledge that is central to our mission. Because of his modesty, kindness, honesty, and warmth, Caughman was well esteemed. Affectionately called “Dr. C” by many, he genuinely embodied the Emory spirit of service.
This is the patient interaction advice he would provide to graduating medical students every May:
Take your time and treat them with the respect they deserve; they are people, after all. Everyone is related to someone else in some way. They deserve your utmost respect. Listen attentively, make eye contact, and repeat the process. Get in on the jokes when you can. And when they’re sad or worried, feel sorry for them. Stay kind while being truthful at all times. Communicate your remorse at the appropriate times. Be professional, kind, and respectful to each and every one of them.
Those lucky enough to have worked with Wright Caughman know that he lived his life according to these ideals, treating his patients and everyone else he met with the same respect and kindness. In the past, he had the privilege of working at WHSC in several capacities, including as a physician, educator, researcher, and administrator.
During this time, he had the opportunity to collaborate with some of the most exceptional and committed individuals he had ever encountered. Over the last 30 years, I’ve learned an incredible amount from my patients, students, and coworkers; and, to this day, I continue to learn new things. The dedication, enthusiasm, and skill that my friends and coworkers have given to our illustrious institution has never failed to amaze me. They are the backbone of Emory’s success and the reason why the university is an exceptional place to work.
We extend our deepest sympathies to Alison, Dr. Caughman’s wife, to his three grown children, to his seven grandkids, and to his entire family on behalf of Emory University and the Woodruff Health Sciences Center. An communication from Ravi I. Thadhani to the community of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center was sent out by Dr. Caughman, expressing their eternal respect and thanks for a lifetime of impactful leadership and unselfish devotion. In addition to her roles as vice chair of the Emory Healthcare Board of Directors and executive director of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center, Thadhani also serves as executive vice president for health affairs.
