UNB Research

The University of New Brunswick (UNB) Institute of Population Health (IPH), the university’s most recently established research institute, continues to ramp up its activities with the appointment of a new scientific director.

Dr. Emily Richard, associate professor of nursing and associate dean of nursing at UNB’s Moncton site, has been selected as the IPH’s new scientific director.

Richard will lead the academic activities of the IPH. She is responsible for facilitating and coordinating research projects and collaborations, partnerships and funding opportunities across faculties, departments and campuses, as well as with external stakeholders.

“I want to make meaningful contributions to the health and wellbeing of New Brunswickers and Canadians, and this role is a perfect opportunity to do so,” said Richard. “I am especially excited to shape the research agenda and work on innovative projects that can significantly impact population health outcomes.

“I am looking forward to engaging and collaborating with the broader healthcare and research community and advocating for evidence-based practices and policies.”

Richard began her academic career in kinesiology, completing a bachelor's degree at Acadia University and a master of science in exercise physiology at the University of Western Ontario (now Western University). She then moved into nursing, completing a bachelor of nursing and her PhD in nursing leadership in health services research at Western.

Richard started at UNB in 2016. Since then, she has been awarded over $7 million in research funding. From 2016 to 2020 she served as the Principal Investigator for the AGE-WELL National Innovation Hub for Advancing Policies & Practices in Technology and Aging.

Her research areas and expertise include the use of technology and innovative tools in health services and education; leadership; workplace culture; wellbeing and career transitions; and quantitative and mixed methods research methodologies.

She has most recently been investigating the use of digital tools to support the care of older adults, as well as their use by their caregivers, and exploring the experiences of clinical nurse educators in Canadian hospitals. Richard also brings extensive experience in nursing, fitness and health promotion to the role.

The IPH, approved by the UNB Senates in May of this year, is led by executive director Dr. Jennifer Russell, MD, with the goal of creating positive and equitable impacts on population health outcomes by focusing on evidence-based approaches across all social determinants of health.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Richard to the IPH team,” said Russell. “She comes with an enormous wealth of collaborative and multidisciplinary research experience. We are excited to build on this foundation, moving forward ideas and plans toward being an impactful vehicle in improving the health of New Brunswickers.”