University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing Names Dr. Therese Richmond Associate Dean for Research and Innovation

Newswise — PHILADELPHIA, June 16, 2015 -- Therese S. Richmond, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, the Andrea B. Laporte Professor of Nursing, a distinguished scholar and researcher at University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing for more than 25 years, has been named Associate Dean for Research and Innovation at Penn Nursing, effective July 1.

Richmond, who was Associate Director of Penn Nursing’s Biobehavioral Research Center, is an internationally-recognized nurse scientist whose research focuses on improving outcomes after injury by better understanding the complex interaction between physical injury and post-injury psychological consequences.

“Dr. Richmond’s extensive research, interdisciplinary and community collaboration, and her international reputation will help to advance the research of the School of Nursing. We are looking forward to Dr. Richmond’s leadership in this position," said Antonia M. Villarruel, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor and Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing.

Richmond serves with ease as both Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator in research that has substantial and diverse funding from such agencies as the National Institute of Nursing Research, National Institute of Mental Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Justice, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and the Joyce Foundation, among others. Dr. Richmond’s current research study is titled “Psychological Effects of Injuries in Urban Black Men: A Disparate Health Issue,” and is funded by the NINR.

“I am delighted to assume the position of Associate Dean for Research and Innovation and to have the opportunity to work closely with Dean Villarruel and all members of our school,” said Dr. Richmond. “Research is the cornerstone of all that we do in the School of Nursing. I am excited to strengthen existing and to cultivate new partnerships with our University and Health System colleagues, local and global communities, industry, funders, and policy makers to build on our already robust research portfolio in order to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable individuals, families, and communities.”

With her Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) colleague Dr. Bill Schwab, Dr. Richmond co-founded the Firearm & Injury Center at Penn. She also holds a secondary appointment at PSOM; is a Senior Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute; a Fellow at the Jerry Lee Center for Criminology and the Center for Public Health Interest at Penn; and is on the Executive Committee of the Penn Injury Science Center. Because of her extensive interdisciplinary work and her service to the University, she is well known and well respected across campus.

In addition to being a pioneering researcher, she also has an outstanding reputation as a mentor. Dr. Richmond is highly sought after by students and peers alike and it was for this skill she served as Principal Investigator for the School’s Hillman Scholars Program in Nursing Innovation. This highly unique and successful program supports six students each year to become scholars in an integrated BSN-PhD program.

The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing is one of the world’s leading schools of nursing and is ranked the #1 nursing school in the United States by U.S. News & World Report. Penn Nursing is consistently among the nation’s top recipients of nursing research funding from the National Institutes of Health. Penn Nursing prepares nurse scientists and nurse leaders to meet the health needs of a global society through research, education, and practice.