MD – University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA
Residency – Pediatrics, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA

Biography: Dr. David L. Richards is a pediatrician who is dedicated to improving care access and delivery for vulnerable pediatrics populations. Dr. Richards is interested in a career combining clinical practice with systems and quality improvement work, community-oriented research, and teaching.  

Dr. Richards’ main project during NCSP was focused on improving the delivery of sexual and reproductive care to youth in foster care. He completed a qualitative study of physicians and nurse practitioners in the Los Angeles Department of Health Services foster care clinics.  His research team included Drs. Stacy Barron, Rebecca Dudovitz, and MarySue Heilemann (UCLA). With his co-investigator Dr. Stacy Barron, he also received funding for phase two of this project.  They have already completed foster youth listening sessions and have received funding for a peer health navigator position.  Design of the peer health navigator role and analysis plan is ongoing.  

Dr. Richards also collaborated with fellow NCSP Scholars on the Community 4 Wellness Equity (C4WE) project. The project was an academic-community partnership to build a coalition of South Los Angeles residents and stakeholder organizations, clinicians, and researchers to identify the community’s priority issues and implement community-driven solutions.   

Dr. Richards splits his time between providing general primary care and working in the Juvenile correctional health system. His work is focused on improving the re-entry and after-care for this vulnerable population. He is also a preceptor for physician assistant students in the general pediatrics clinic and is involved in QI initiatives at the Hubert H. Humphrey Comprehensive Health Center.