richardson attended western illinois university for one year and the university of california los angeles for four years. richardson has a master's degree in exercise physiology and health from adelphi university in garden city, new york. she attended the university of louisville school of medicine and received an m.d. degree in 1993. she then entered her five-year orthopedic residency program at the university of southern california. she took a one-year leave of absence to participate in the 1996 olympic games, where she and her teammates captured the first ever olympic gold medal in the sport of softball. between 1999 and 2000, she did a fellowship in sports medicine at the kerlan-jobe orthopaedic sports medicine clinic in los angeles.