Rich directs a range of projects focusing on evaluation, formative research, and thought leadership on a variety of topics, including data modernization, HIV and aging, climate change and health, and preparedness and response. 

Rich oversees the evaluation of a CDC-funded initiative to support health departments as they implement or improve electronic case reporting (eCR) and onboard to qualified health information networks (QHIN) via the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA). He also leads a HRSA-funded multi-site evaluation of emerging interventions to improve health outcomes among persons aging with HIV. In addition, he is leading a CMS-funded effort to predict chronic pain using claims data. His portfolio also includes several preparedness and response activities, notably including a synthesis of research on long COVID to inform the National Research Plan at the request of the White House. 

Prior to joining NORC, Rich worked for over 15 years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He spent much of that time in the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) leading evaluations of local and state HIV and chronic disease prevention programs. More recently, he was Deputy Director of an office in the Office of the Director where he was responsible for overseeing flagship programs and anticipating future policy and population health needs across CDC.

Concurrently, he held the rank of Commander with the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps and deployed 17 times. Domestically, he held progressively increasing leadership roles in the field during emergency responses. Globally, he developed a niche as a field epidemiologist with language skills and was often assigned to the World Health Organization as CDC’s only representative. Rich also founded the first LGBT employee resource group within a uniformed service.