From the Daily Targum, November 18, 2025
Patricia O’Brien-Richardson, associate professor of public health and chief diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officer at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, recently received the Cultural Impact and Empowerment Award from the Trauma Recovery and Prevention Alliance (T.R.A.P.A.). She was selected for her advocacy efforts in promoting health equity, justice for victims of intimate partner violence and mental health support for students.
As the Bloustein School’s Chief DEI Officer, O’Brien-Richardson works to further the school’s mission of impacting people and communities both at home and worldwide. Her personal pursuit is to make the diverse student body find a sense of belonging within the Bloustein community.
Outside of her work as Chief DEI Officer, O’Brien-Richardson’s commitment to justice extends globally through her nonprofit, Move It Nation. After working for 10 years on HIV/AIDS support efforts in South Africa, she returned to the U.S. after becoming pregnant.
“It was very jarring,” she said. “So I decided to start an organization to bridge the gap between what I was seeing in America and what is the reality in where I was (serving).”
Move It Nation holds fitness events to raise money for children’s education in South Africa. The nonprofit has funded college tuition for five children, provided recreational opportunities and supplied kerosene and textbooks for students.
Move It Nation also addresses issues of stress and obesity in the U.S. The organization provides meditation training for educators and community leaders as well as stress management and obesity prevention programs.
O’Brien-Richardson said, “A lot of the work I do is with women, mostly women of color, mostly black women that are in high stress situations at work, workplace, toxic workplaces, so that’s what Move It Nation supports.”
The Cultural Impact and Empowerment Award from T.R.A.P.A. recognizes her transformative leadership and dedication to empowering women, youth and communities. O’Brien-Richardson was attending T.R.A.P.A.’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month event, “Unmasking the Silence of Domestic Partner Violence,” when she was presented with the award.
O’Brien-Richardson said, “This award isn’t about me, it’s really about people who continue to take a breath despite being in situations where they feel they can’t breathe.”
She has witnessed her own students struggling with stress, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, she leads breathwork during class time, does not assign homework on World Mental Health Day and makes her students’ final project a self-care guide.