He has been awarded the Distinguished Research Medal, which rewards outstanding scholarly achievement and the development of concepts that lead to significant advances.
Prof Richards, who is an Otago University graduate, is the National Heart Foundation professor of cardiovascular studies at the the university's Christchurch campus.
He has led the Christchurch Cardioendocrine Research Group since its formation in 1996.
Otago University vice-chancellor Prof David Skegg said Prof Richards was a gifted researcher whose ground-breaking studies and strong research leadership had helped improve the quality of cardiac patient care throughout the world.
Prof Richards and the Christchurch research group had made major contributions to understanding the part played by cardiac hormones in the development of heart failure, Prof Skegg said.
The group had developed sophisticated blood tests which were being used internationally in diagnosing heart failure and assessing how intensively patients need to be treated, and with what drugs, he said.
Other research by the group has been used to improve commonly used cardiac drugs, such as beta-blockers.
Prof Richards has published more than 300 scholarly papers and has received many research grants from national and international funding bodies.
A recent Health Research Council grant will support a research programme which aims to further develop an improved tool kit to predict risk, onset and progression of heart disease through the development and use of blood biomarkers, cardiac imaging and gene typing of patients.
Prof Richards, who is a cardiologist with the Canterbury District Health Board, was delighted to receive the medal, which he felt was also going to the research group, and not solely to him.
• Prof Richards graduated with the MBChB qualifications from Otago in 1978 and has since earned Otago doctor of medicine and doctor of science degrees.
