Libby Richards

Dr. Richards is an associate professor at Purdue University’s School of Nursing. Her research efforts focus on understanding and intervening on the individual and interpersonal influences on physical activity behavior, including examination of dyadic relationships in physical activity promotion and community-based interventions. Dr. Richards’ studies highlight the importance of social support for increasing physical activity.

As a public health nurse, Dr. Richards widely disseminates health education about the importance of vaccinations, flu prevention, and physical activity promotion. As an educator, she is using innovative and active strategies to engage undergraduate students in population health. She actively mentors students across disciplines interested in population health and public health nursing.

In addition, she has served in several leadership positions in the field of public health, including 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. She is the current communication officer for the aging research interest group for the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Dr. Richards’ is a faculty associate for Purdue’s Center for Aging and the Life Course. In addition, she is a faculty partner for Purdue’s Center for Families.