Irene H. Richard, M.D.

After graduating from Cornell University in 1987 and receiving her MD from the Yale University School of Medicine in1991, Dr. Richard completed neurology residency at the University of Rochester in 1995, followed by the NIH-funded fellowship training in Movement Disorders and Experimental Therapeutics in 1997. She joined the faculty of the University of Rochester in 1997 and has been an integral part of the Department of Neurology's missions in clinical care, research and education. The recipient of the Senior Faculty Award in 2013, Dr. Richard is a Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry.

Dr. Richard provides neurological care for patients with Parkinson's disease and related conditions and her research program focuses on the psychiatric aspects of these illnesses. She is the author of numerous scientific articles, editorials and book chapters and has been the recipient of career development awards and research grants, including one from NIH to lead a multi-center clinical trial evaluating the treatment of depression in PD. Dr. Richard serves as a reviewer for scientific journals and served as a member of the NIH Adult Psychopathology and Disorders of Aging Study as well as chair for several research grant review committee meetings for the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) for Parkinson's disease Research. She served as the Senior Medical Advisor for MJFF, is a member of the scientific advisory board and was the recipient of the 2011 Langtson Award for her valued contributions to the foundation. She has given lectures and chaired workshops and symposia at national meetings including the American Academy of Neurology and The World Parkinson Congress. Dr. Richard's efforts have brought new clinical and research attention to the previously overlooked area of mood disturbances in PD.
Dr. Richard is dedicated to medical education at every level of training and serves as a member of the medical student clerkship grading committee, a faculty preceptor for the neurology resident longitudinal care clinic, director of the psychiatry resident neurology lecture series and director of the movement disorders fellowship program.

Research