Bonnie Richard earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology from University of California – Los Angeles, where she trained as a cultural and medical anthropologist, including a concentration in comparative education. She also holds an M.A. in Anthropology and Museum Studies from The George Washington University.
As an Associate Research Scientist at PIRE, she specializes in qualitative and mixed-methods research, with a focus on topics surrounding well-being across the lifespan, health promotion and behavior change, and equity in education and health. She has comprehensive experience conducting interviews and focus groups with vulnerable populations on sensitive topics, and is dedicated to high standards in research ethics and ensuring data quality through transparency and rapport-building. In rural India, she carried out ethnographic research on the aspirations and barriers to achievement for first-generation high school-educated teens, and another project to contextualize the needs of children with disabilities and their families in terms of physical and social access and inclusion. In her work at PIRE she has undertaken qualitative research with U.S. Veterans, healthcare professionals, and college students.
Dr. Richard also participates in evaluations and studies at PIRE that involve quantitative and mixed research methods, and has experience with of survey instrument development and design, implementation of research in complex real-world contexts, data management, qualitative analysis, and disseminating findings for academic, industry, and public audiences. She has contributed to evaluation of programs and campaigns to improve the well-being of various populations, such as oral health promotion for adults with disabilities living in group homes, alcohol harm reduction for college students in fraternities/sororities, and prescription drug misuse prevention for rural families.
She is currently developing research investigating how the opioid epidemic has impacted rural older adults receiving palliative and end-of-life care. Specifically, this research aims to improve care for those with serious and terminal illness who have a history of opioid use disorder while helping health care providers better manage risks inherent in prescribing opioids.
