Rita Pickler receives 2022 Distinguished Scholar Award
March 21, 2022
Rita Pickler, PhD, RN, FAAN, FloAnn Sours Easton Endowed Professor of Child and Adolescent Health, received the 2022 Distinguished Scholar Award. The award was announced to a surprised Pickler by senior leadership with Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge at a recent College of Nursing faculty meeting.
Pickler is a nurse scientist, pioneering research on the care of the preterm infant that spans over 35 years. Her research focuses both on the preterm infant’s stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and after discharge especially during the initial transition to home.
Pickler has made significant contributions in nursing science on determining the readiness for oral feeding and ways to progress oral feedings for preterm infants. Her findings have illuminated the stress and challenges that new parents face in transitioning a preterm infant from hospital to home. Pickler’s interdisciplinary and biobehavioral work has increased the understanding of the effects of maternal well-being on child outcomes.
Pickler received a PhD in nursing from University of Virginia and a bachelor’s and master’s of nursing science from University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She also serves as director of the PhD and master’s in nursing science programs in the College of Nursing at Ohio State and is the editor-in-chief of Nursing Research.
The Distinguished Scholar Award is among the highest annual honors awarded at Ohio State. The university-level award honors six faculty members who demonstrate scholarly activity, conduct research or creative works, that represent exceptional achievements in their fields and garnered distinction for the university.
Award recipients are nominated by their departments and chosen by a committee of senior faculty, including past award recipients. Distinguished Scholars receive an honorarium and a research grant to be used over the next three years.