Michael Richardson MD, FACP

Dr. Richardson was educated at Oxford University, UK for an MA in Physiology, The University of the West Indies, Jamaica for his medical degree, and The University of Wales, Cardiff for the Diploma in Tuberculosis & Chest Diseases. He continued education at Georgetown University Hospital Washington DC for a Pulmonary & Critical Care fellowship before joining the faculty at Georgetown Hospital as the Chief Pulmonary at DC General Hospital 1987-1994 and Assistant Professor of Medicine, Georgetown University School of Medicine. During those years his specialty interest was in Granulomatous diseases, with research devoted to Sarcoidosis as a co-investigator & collaborator on NHLB and NIAID Research Grants investigating the epidemiology characteristics of sarcoidosis and developing a clinical registry.

Dr. Richardson continued clinical practice in the private pulmonary setting before joining the District of Columbia Department of Health as Chief Chronic Disease Section 2000-2002 and ultimately as Chief Medical Officer 2002-2003 where he participated as the clinical and administrative lead in population health initiatives in Cancer, Cardiac and Hypertensive diseases, Tuberculosis and chronic lung diseases, and school health preventive programs. and after the 9/11 and anthrax terror attacks oversaw the Bioterrorism program development for the District of Columbia.

Dr. Richardson joined the Veterans Health Administration in 2003 as Chief of Medicine in Biloxi MS and participated in the organizational and local medical response to Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina with commendations from the Governor of Mississippi for exceptional service. A subsequent interim appointment as Chief Spinal Cord Injury at the Memphis VAMC led to his interest in the VHA system of care for Veterans with SCI/D and his current appointment as Chief SCI/D at the Edward Hines Jr VAMC.

Most recently he was detailed as the Interim Chief of Staff for the Loma Linda Veterans HealthCare System from Apr. 2021 to Nov. 2021

Dr. Richardson has been involved in National Spinal Cord Injury organizational and clinical activities focused on improving the attitudes, delivery, and outcomes in the care and complications of SCI in Veterans. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine since 2018. Current research activities are in Assessing the Effects of Intermittent Hypoxia on Neural Plasticity in Tetraplegia and in Addressing Modifiable Risk Factors to Prevent Community Acquired Ulcers in Veterans with SCI.

Dr. Richardson served as Acting Chief of Staff of Hines VA Hospital from February 2022 to September 2022.