Libby Richards

Libby Richards is a Professor of Nursing at Purdue University's School of Nursing. She serves as a faculty associate for Purdue's Center for Aging and the Life Course and as a faculty partner for Purdue's Center for Families. Dr. Richards is actively involved in public health leadership, serving as a Board Member for the Indiana Public Health Association, past chair of the Physical Activity Section and Action Board of the American Public Health Association, and current communication officer for the aging research interest group for the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

Dr. Richards' research focuses on understanding and intervening on individual and interpersonal influences on physical activity behavior, including examination of dyadic relationships in physical activity promotion and community-based interventions. Her work highlights the importance of social support for increasing physical activity. As a public health nurse, she widely disseminates health education about vaccinations, flu prevention, and physical activity promotion. She employs innovative and active strategies to engage undergraduate students in population health and mentors students across disciplines interested in population health and public health nursing.

Her recent publications demonstrate expertise in vaccine policy, seasonal disease transmission, and school health. Dr. Richards has received significant recognition as a Fellow of both the American Academy of Nursing and the National League for Nursing.

Dr. Richards has received funding from the American Nurses Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute.