Adam Richards

M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Full-time Faculty

School: Milken Institute School of Public Health

Department: Global Health

Contact:

Email: Adam Richards

Office Phone: (202) 994-1266

Adam Richards MD PhD MPH DTM&H is Associate Professor of Global Health at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, where he is an active member of the MPH Program in Global Humanitarian Health, and Associate Professor of Medicine the School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Adam’s research leverages training in internal medicine, epidemiology, tropical medicine and health services research to develop measurement tools and evidence-based interventions to improve health equity and human rights through clinical and population-based participatory research. For two decades he has partnered with community organizations in Myanmar to understand and address the double burden of infectious and chronic diseases among displaced, war-affected and post-conflict populations.

Since 2001 he has served as a Board Member and Senior Technical Advisor to Community Partners International (CPI), a non-profit organization that empowers communities affected by conflict, violence, and displacement, in remote and hard-to-reach contexts, to meet their essential health, humanitarian and development needs. www.cpintl.org

Adam served on the Board of Directors of Physicians for Human Rights (PHR, www.phr.org ) from 2009-2020 and has been an active member of PHR’s Asylum Network since 2005. He co-founded the Los Angeles Human Rights Initiative at UCLA and has trained and mentored dozens of clinicians to conduct forensic evaluations of individuals seeking asylum in the United States.

Adam is a licensed physician (internal medicine) who provides clinical care of adults in the hospital (inpatient wards), in outpatient clinics (primary care), on the streets (outreach to persons experiencing homelessness) and in 2020-21, in hotels/motels modified for COVID-19 (Los Angeles County Surge Unit for quarantine/isolation of individuals with suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV2).

Prior to joining GW, Adam was Assistant Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine & Health Services Research at UCLA (2013-2019), where he also completed a PhD (Health Services Research) and fellowships in leadership/policy/community based participatory research (RWJF Clinical Scholars Program) and cardiovascular disease equity (American Heart Association / Pharmaceutical Roundtable-Spina Outcomes Research Fellow and The Los Angeles Stroke Prevention/Intervention Research Program in Health Disparities Fellowship). He holds an MD and MPH (epidemiology and international health) from Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Richards is an affiliated faculty member of the Global Food Institute at GW.

Expertise

Global Health

Health Services Research

Infectious Disease

Chronic Disease

Access to Health Care

Community Health

Social Determinants of Health

Risk Assessment, Management and Communication

Health Outcome Surveillance

Health Disparities

Epidemiology

Underserved Populations

Program Evaluation

Health Quality

Disaster Preparedness

Education

BA, History & Literature / African American Studies, Harvard College

MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

MPH, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Residency, Internal Medicine and Social Medicine, Montefiore Hospital, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Fellowship, Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, UCLA

PhD, Health Services Research, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health

Diploma, Clinical Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (DTM&H), Gorgas Memorial Institute of Tropical and Preventive Medicine, Lima, Peru

Fellowship, Stroke Prevention/Intervention Research Program in Health Disparities (SPIRP), NIH/NINDS/UCLA

Research

My research leverages training in internal medicine, epidemiology, tropical medicine and health services research to develop measurement tools and evidence-based interventions to improve health equity and human rights through clinical and population-based participatory research. For two decades I have partnered with community organizations in Myanmar to understand and address the double burden of infectious and chronic diseases among displaced, war-affected and post-conflict populations.

Select current projects

Community Oriented Primary Care (COPC) model for micro-elimination of maternal-to-child transmission of HBV, and enhanced access to longitudinal treatment
Strategic purchasing pilot: a novel financing mechanism for ethnic and community health providers to deliver a basic package services to address infectious and non-communicable diseases in post-conflict Myanmar
Evaluation of three nutrition-sensitive intervention added to maternal cash transfers to reduce chronic malnutrition in Kayin State, Myanmar
Traumatic Experiences and their Physical and Mental Health Consequences Among Adults Granted Asylum in the US for Claims Based on Domestic Violence or Persecution by Organized Gangs

Select areas of work

Universal Health Care in post-conflict populations
Human resources for health in fragile and conflict-affected states
Epidemiology and control of malaria and artemisinin resistance
Epidemiology and control of cardiovascular disease and stroke and their risk factors
Inequities in cardiovascular risk factors and prediction tools to improve targeting of proven interventions among disadvantaged populations and people living with HIV/AIDS
Community health worker (CHW) interventions
Community-oriented primary care (COPC)
Refugee and Asylum Health (United States)
Homeless healthcare

Select Methods

Design and analysis of large cluster surveys
Simulation/modeling to estimate the impact on cardiovascular risk of community-based multiple intervention trials to reduce CVD disparities
Quantification of the health impacts of human rights violations
Health equity metrics and their application in distributional (equity-weighted) cost-effectiveness analysis
Mixed methods / formative research
Measuring quality of health services
Clinical epidemiology and clinical decision-making
Community based participatory research (CBPR)

Publications

Link to MyBibliography here

1. Beyrer C, Suwanvanichkij V, Mullany LC, Richards AK, Franck N, Samuels A, Lee TJ. Responding to AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria and Emerging Infectious Diseases in Burma: Dilemmas of Policy and Practice. PLoS Med. 2006;3(10). PubMed PMID: 17032061.

2. Lee TJ, Mullany LC, Richards AK, Kuiper HK, Maung C, Beyrer C. Mortality rates in conflict zones in Karen, Karenni, and Mon states in eastern Burma. Trop Med Int Health. 2006;11(7):1119-27. PubMed PMID: 16827712.

3. Mullany LC, Richards AK, Lee CI, Suwanvanichkij V, Maung C, Mahn M, Beyrer C, Lee TJ. Population-based survey methods to quantify associations between human rights violations and health outcomes among internally displaced persons in eastern Burma. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2007;61(10):908-14. PubMed PMID: 17873229.

4. Richards AK, Smith LS, Mullany LC, Lee CI, Whichard E, Banek KE, Mahn M, Schwe Oo EK, Lee TJ. Prevalence of plasmodium falciparum in active conflict areas of eastern Burma: a summary of cross-sectional data. Confl Health. 2007;1(1):9. PubMed PMID: 17803819.

5. Mahn M, Maung C, Oo EK, Smith L, Lee CI, Whichard E, Neumann C, Richards AK, Mullany LC, Kuiper H, Lee TJ. Multi-level partnerships to promote health services among internally displaced in eastern Burma. Glob Public Health. 2008;3(2):165-86. doi: 791904342 [pii] 10.1080/17441690801942821. PubMed PMID: 19288369.

6. Dodson JL, Hsiao YC, Kasat-Shors M, Murray L, Nguyen NK, Richards AK, Gittelsohn J. Formative research for a healthy diet intervention among inner-city adolescents: the importance of family, school and neighborhood environment. Ecol Food Nutr. 2009;48(1):39-58. doi: 10.1080/03670240802575493. PubMed PMID: 21883057.

7. Lee CI, Smith LS, Shwe Oo EK, Scharschmidt BC, Whichard E, Kler T, Lee TJ, Richards AK. Internally displaced human resources for health: villager health worker partnerships to scale up a malaria control programme in active conflict areas of eastern Burma. Glob Public Health. 2009;4(3):229-41. doi: 10.1080/17441690802676360. PubMed PMID: 19384681.

8. Richards AK, Banek K, Mullany LC, Lee CI, Smith L, Oo EK, Lee TJ. Cross-border malaria control for internally displaced persons: observational results from a pilot programme in eastern Burma/Myanmar. Trop Med Int Health. 2009;14(5):512-21. doi: TMI2258 [pii] 10.1111/j.1365-3156.2009.02258.x. PubMed PMID: 19254232.

9. Chackungal S, Nickerson JW, Knowlton LM, Black L, Burkle FM, Casey K, Crandell D, Demey D, Di Giacomo L, Dohlman L, Goldstein J, Gosney JE, Jr., Ikeda K, Linden A, Mullaly CM, O'Connell C, Redmond AD, Richards A, Rufsvold R, Santos AL, Skelton T, McQueen K. Best practice guidelines on surgical response in disasters and humanitarian emergencies: report of the 2011 Humanitarian Action Summit Working Group on Surgical Issues within the Humanitarian Space. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2011;26(6):429-37. doi: 10.1017/S1049023X12000064. PubMed PMID: 22475370.

10. Knowlton LM, Gosney JE, Chackungal S, Altschuler E, Black L, Burkle FM, Jr., Casey K, Crandell D, Demey D, Di Giacomo L, Dohlman L, Goldstein J, Gosselin R, Ikeda K, Le Roy A, Linden A, Mullaly CM, Nickerson J, O'Connell C, Redmond AD, Richards A, Rufsvold R, Santos AL, Skelton T, McQueen K. Consensus statements regarding the multidisciplinary care of limb amputation patients in disasters or humanitarian emergencies: report of the 2011 Humanitarian Action Summit Surgical Working Group on amputations following disasters or conflict. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2011;26(6):438-48. doi: 10.1017/S1049023X12000076. PubMed PMID: 22559308.

11. Sollom R, Richards AK, Parmar P, Mullany LC, Lian SB, Iacopino V, Beyrer C. Health and human rights in Chin State, Western Burma: a population-based assessment using multistaged household cluster sampling. PLoS Med. 2011;8(2):e1001007. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001007. PubMed PMID: 21346799; PMCID: 3035608.

12. Brown T, Smith LS, Oo EK, Shawng K, Lee TJ, Sullivan D, Beyrer C, Richards AK. Molecular surveillance for drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum in clinical and subclinical populations from three border regions of Burma/Myanmar: cross-sectional data and a systematic review of resistance studies. Malar J. 2012;11:333. doi: 10.1186/1475-2875-11-333. PubMed PMID: 22992214; PMCID: PMC3518194.

13. Greysen SR, Richards AK, Coupet S, Desai MM, Padela AI. Global health experiences of U.S. Physicians: a mixed methods survey of clinician-researchers and health policy leaders. Global Health. 2013;9:19. doi: 10.1186/1744-8603-9-19. PubMed PMID: 23663501; PMCID: PMC3655883.

14 Richards A, Cheng EM. Stroke risk calculators in the era of electronic health records linked to administrative databases. Stroke. 2013;44(2):564-9. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.111.649798. PubMed PMID: 23204057; PMCID: PMC3552152.

15. Parmar PK, Benjamin-Chung J, Smith LS, Htoo SN, Laeng S, Lwin A, Mahn M, Maung C, Reh D, Shwe Oo EK, Lee T, Richards AK. Health and human rights in eastern Myanmar prior to political transition: a population-based assessment using multistaged household cluster sampling. BMC international health and human rights. 2014;14:15. doi: 10.1186/1472-698X-14-15. PubMed PMID: 24885540; PMCID: 4022419.

16. Washington CH, Tyler FJ, Davis J, Shapiro DR, Richards A, Richard M, Lee TJ, Colton TL, Berk L, Rauch L, Shwe Oo EK, Hahn R, Stock LM. Trauma training course: innovative teaching models and methods for training health workers in active conflict zones of Eastern Myanmar. Int J Emerg Med. 2014;7(1):46. doi: 10.1186/s12245-014-0046-z. PubMed PMID: 25624953; PMCID: PMC4298949.

17. Adams M, Joshi SN, Mbambo G, Mu AZ, Roemmich SM, Shrestha B, Strauss KA, Johnson NE, Oo KZ, Hlaing TM, Han ZY, Han KT, Thura S, Richards AK, Huang F, Nyunt MM, Plowe CV. An ultrasensitive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay to detect asymptomatic low-density Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax infections in small volume blood samples. Malar J. 2015;14:520. doi: 10.1186/s12936-015-1038-z. PubMed PMID: 26701778; PMCID: PMC4690410.

18. Davis WW, Mullany LC, Shwe Oo EK, Richards AK, Iacopino V, Beyrer C. Health and Human Rights in Karen State, Eastern Myanmar. PloS one. 2015;10(8):e0133822. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133822. PubMed PMID: 26308850; PMCID: PMC4550474.

19. Parmar PK, Barina CC, Low S, Tun KT, Otterness C, Mhote PP, Htoo SN, Kyaw SW, Lwin NA, Maung C, Moo NM, Oo EK, Reh D, Mon NC, Singh N, Goyal R, Richards AK. Health and human rights in Eastern Myanmar after the political transition: a population-based assessment using multistaged household cluster sampling. PloS one. 2015;10(5):e0121212. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121212. PubMed PMID: 25970445; PMCID: 4430217.

20. Towfighi A, Cheng EM, Ayala-Rivera M, McCreath H, Sanossian N, Dutta T, Mehta B, Bryg R, Rao N, Song S, Razmara A, Ramirez M, Sivers-Teixeira T, Tran J, Mojarro-Huang E, Montoya A, Corrales M, Martinez B, Willis P, Macias M, Ibrahim N, Wu S, Wacksman J, Haber H, Richards A, Barry F, Hill V, Mittman B, Cunningham W, Liu H, Ganz DA, Factor D, Vickrey BG. Randomized controlled trial of a coordinated care intervention to improve risk factor control after stroke or transient ischemic attack in the safety net: Secondary stroke prevention by Uniting Community and Chronic care model teams Early to End Disparities (SUCCEED). BMC Neurol. 2017;17(1):24. doi: 10.1186/s12883-017-0792-7. PubMed PMID: 28166784; PMCID: PMC5294765.

21. Y. Kim; S. Trinh; S.Thura; K.P.Kyi; T.Lee; S.Sze; A.Richards; A. Aronsohn; G.Wong; Y.Tanaka; G.Dusheiko; M. Nguyen. Physician perspectives on the management of viral hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma in Myanmar. PLOS ONE. 2017: 12(8):e0181603. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181603. PMID: 28797080; PMCID: PMC5552252.

22. J. Ladapo, A. Richards, C. DeWitt, N. Harawa, S. Shoptaw, ;W. Cunningham, J. Mafi. Disparities in the Quality of Cardiovascular Care Between HIV-Infected Versus HIV-Uninfected Adults in the United States: A Cross-Section Study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2017; 6(11). doi: 10.1161/JAHA.117.007107. PubMed PMID: 29138182; PMCID: PMC5721786.

23. A. Brown, T. Seeman, S. Merkin, E. Cheng, W. Longstreth, A. Richards, L. Liang, S. Vassar, J. Escarce. Life’s Simple Seven: Trends in racial and ethnic disparities in cardiovascular health in the United States from 1990 to 2014. Ann Intern Med. 2018;168(8):541-9. doi: 10.7326/M17-0996. PubMed PMID: 29554692; PMCID: PMC6499476.

24. P. Parmar, S. Low, K. Tun, P. Mhote, N. Htoo, W. Kyaw, A. Lwin, C. Maung, M. Moo, EK Shwe Oo, D. Reh, N.C. Mon, N. Jackson, X. Zhou, A. Richards. Migration Patterns & Their Associations with Health and Human Rights in Eastern Myanmar after Political Transition: Results of a Large Population-Based Survey. Conflict and Health. 2019;13(1):15. doi: 10.1186/s13031-019-0193-1.

25. A. Richards, N. Jackson, E. Cheng, R. Byrg, A. Brown, A. Towfighi, N. Sanossian, F. Barry, N. Li, B. Vickrey. Derivation and application of a tool to estimate benefits from multiple therapies that reduce recurrent stroke risk. Stroke. 2020;51:7. Epub 2020/03/24. doi: 10.1161/strokeaha.119.027160. PubMed PMID: 32200759.

26. N. Miller, N. Kozuki, A. Richards, M. Marx, F. Checchi. . Assessing community health worker service delivery in humanitarian settings. J Glob Health. 2020;10(1):010307. doi: 10.7189/jogh.10.010307. PubMed PMID: 32257135; PMCID: PMC7100867.

27. F. Gu, E. Chu, A. Milewski, S. Levinson, S. Taleghani, N. Aguirre, M. Maju, R. Husman, J. Lee, M. Sharp, R. Lion, A. Richards, E. Emery. Challenges in Founding and Developing Student-Run Asylum Clinics. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. 2020 Oct 21;. doi: 10.1007/s10903-020-01106-2. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 33085030

28. Towfighi A, Cheng EM, Ayala-Rivera M, McCreath H, Sanossian N, Dutta T, Mehta B, Bryg R, Rao N, Song S, Razmara A, Ramirez M, Sivers-Teixeira T, Tran J, Mojarro-Huang E, Montoya A, Corrales M, Martinez B, Willis P, Macias M, Ibrahim N, Wu S, Wacksman J, Haber H, Richards A, Barry F, Hill V, Mittman B, Cunningham W, Liu H, Ganz DA, Factor D, Vickrey BG. Randomized Controlled Trial of a Chronic Care Model Based intervention to Improve Risk Factor Control after Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack: Secondary Stroke Prevention by Uniting Community and Chronic Care Model Teams Early to End Disparities (SUCCEED). JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Feb 1;4(2):e2036227. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.36227. PubMed PMID: 33587132