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Kathy Richards’ research focuses on improving sleep-related symptoms, nighttime agitation, and memory in older adults with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. She is the principal investigator for R01AG51588 ‘Nighttime Agitation Restless Legs Syndrome in People with Dementia’ (NightRest) and the multi-principal investigator of R01AG054435 ‘Changing Trajectory of Mild Cognitive Impairment with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure’ (Memories 2). Her projects are funded by the National Institute on Aging. With over 25 years of experience in multi-disciplinary translational sleep and aging research, Richards has disseminated her findings through more than 100 publications. She has conducted randomized controlled clinical trials on interventions such as exercise and individualized social activity programs, leading to clinically significant improvements in sleep for institutionalized and hospitalized older adults. Additionally, she developed validated measures to assess sleep quality in critically ill older adults, translating these measures into 12 languages, and created a diagnostic tool for restless legs syndrome for individuals with cognitive impairment. Her program of research has advanced the science of clinical trial design to test the efficacy of tailored, patient-centered interventions. Recent findings from the Memories 1 trial indicate that adherence to continuous positive airway pressure significantly improves cognitive function in older adults with comorbid mild cognitive impairment and obstructive sleep apnea.
The University of Texas at Austin • Austin, TX
Conducts research and teaches courses in the field of nursing with a focus on sleep-related issues in older adults.
General requirements for the Graduate School at UT Austin apply to all programs unless otherwise specified.