Portrait by ChiChi Ubiña
YWCA Greenwich will be holding its 8th Annual Women Who Inspire Awards to recognize exceptional women in our community. YWCA Greenwich’s Women Who Inspire Awards was established to recognize and celebrate outstanding women who have excelled in philanthropic, professional, and volunteer pursuits. Importantly, these honorees have enriched the lives of many in our community. This event acknowledges the changes in society that have led to the fluidity of work/life pursuits for women of today.
Dr. Sandra K. Wainwright is a dedicated physician and medical leader whose quiet strength and unwavering commitment to patient care have inspired countless colleagues, trainees, and community members. As Medical Director of the Hyperbaric Medicine and Wound Healing Center at Greenwich Hospital (Yale New Haven Health), she brings decades of expertise across multiple specialties to improve lives in complex and challenging circumstances.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Wainwright served on the front lines at Greenwich Hospital, caring for critically ill patients with severe respiratory failure. Her calm, compassionate approach and clinical skill helped sustain many through one of the most demanding periods in modern medicine. She also explored innovative applications of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for COVID-related complications, contributing to case series, multi-center studies, and international discussions that advanced understanding of this emerging treatment.
A lifelong educator, Dr. Wainwright holds an appointment as Assistant Clinical Professor at Yale School of Medicine and has taught generations of residents, fellows, and medical students through affiliations with Yale, Norwalk Hospital, and global health initiatives, including work in Vietnam.
She has delivered numerous invited lectures worldwide on topics ranging from pulmonary clearance for hyperbaric treatment to wound healing, and clinician well-being.