Camille Rice thinks that the pediatrician’s office is a family’s first stop for receiving advice and gaining greater insight into how to care for their children. Rice, a pediatric nurse practitioner, who is completing her master’s degree at Kent State University, has worked for the past nine years in the maternity and pediatric fields.

“I really enjoyed my time at Kent State when I completed my undergraduate degree and knew that I would receive an excellent education here for my master’s as well,” says Rice, who received her bachelor's degree from Kent State in 1999.  Through her master’s work and research she now hopes to find the best ways to reach out to patients and families.

Rice’s passion for nursing and thirst for knowledge, recently made her the recipient of the 2008 National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioner’s Loretta Ford Leadership Scholarship Award.  This is a prestigious honor granted to an outstanding Pediatric Nurse Practitioner each year who is studying as a full- or part-time second-year PNP student who possesses a 3.4 GPA or higher, and a NAPNAP member. 

Dr. Loretta C. Ford, a life-long educator, supported and founded the nurse practitioner movement, which began in the 1960s, and transformed the nursing profession. The award was created in 19xx in which Rice is now one of only a couple dozen recipients. 

The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners is the professional association for PNPs and other advanced practice nurses who care for children. Established in 1973, the organization actively advocates for children's health.

In addition to her studies and work as a PNP, Rice is as a graduate assistant researching adolescent dating violence and childhood literacy under Mary Calabro, a lecturer in the College of Nursing.  Rice says that Calabro’s interest in literacy levels of health information for patients has inspired her studies.

Rice’s interest in childhood literacy led to the creation of a NAPNAP special interest group, which will be featured at the annual national conference.  The conference is the focus of the award, which will fund Rice’s attendance and studies at the event. 

 “Doing this research  has opened my eyes to the ways in which I can make a difference in the lives of young children.  I love books and want children to have every opportunity and advantage to be able to read,” she says.

After attending the NAPNAP national conference, Rice says she wants to apply her new knowledge to her work in the pediatric field. Additionally, she expresses interest in learning more about pediatric pharmacology, child obesity, Autism and behavior management. 

Along with her students, Rice is pursuing additional leadership opportunities by joining Akron Children’s Hospital twice a week at the Cuyahoga Falls Natatorium for its Fit Club, a program designed to teach children healthy life habits.

According to Rice, “Kent State’s pediatric nurse practitioners should take advantage of every opportunity possible because they do have the power to change lives."

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Media contact:

Melody Wachowski, mwachows@kent.edu or

Rachel Wenger-Pelosi, 330-672-8046 or rwenger@kent.edu