Dr. Libby Richards is a professor and interim head of the School of Nursing at Purdue University. She is also a faculty associate for the Center on Aging and the Life Course and a faculty partner for the Center for Families. Her clinical background is in cardiac critical care and outpatient chronic disease management. These clinical nursing experiences formed her research portfolio to include examination of physical activity determinants using a social ecological framework, development and evaluation of physical activity interventions using a social cognitive theory model, and specific examination of interpersonal influences on physical activity behavior change. Her current research examines the importance of social support for increasing and maintaining physical activity. She has received research funding through sources such as Purdue’s Centers for Families, Cooperative Extension, the National Institutes of Health, Indiana CTSI, and the American Nurses Foundation.
