Michelle Richard, MD, MSc is an executive coach, physician, former hospital leader, and educator who works with healthcare leaders seeking to become more strategic, influential, and effective in complex organizations.
Michelle brings a systems perspective to coaching, helping leaders better understand the dynamics around them, how they are experienced by others, and where they can have the greatest impact. She is particularly skilled at helping leaders step back from difficult situations, see them from multiple perspectives, and identify thoughtful, practical next steps.
Before becoming an executive coach, Michelle spent more than 25 years in healthcare as a physician and senior leader. She served as Chief of Medicine and Chief of Quality at the VA Providence Healthcare System, where her work included clinical care, organizational leadership, quality improvement, patient safety, and large-scale change. Her career also included NIH-funded clinical research and extensive experience leading physicians and multidisciplinary teams.
Today, Michelle coaches healthcare professionals who are taking on greater leadership responsibility, working through challenging organizational dynamics, or seeking to strengthen their leadership effectiveness. Her coaching engagements often incorporate stakeholder interviews and 360-degree feedback, allowing leaders to better understand their strengths, their impact on others, and opportunities for growth. Her approach combines thoughtful reflection with a practical understanding of how healthcare organizations actually work.
Michelle is also a faculty member at Boston College’s Woods College of Advancing Studies, where she teaches graduate students in leadership. She teaches Leading at the Crossroads of Change, a course focused on strategy, culture, communication, and leading organizational change.
Michelle completed her executive coaching training through the College of Executive Coaching, an International Coaching Federation-recognized program. She earned her medical degree from the University of Virginia, her Master of Science in Epidemiology from Harvard’s School of Public Health, and her undergraduate degree from Boston College.