NEW YORK, Oct. 24, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dr. Mabel L. Rice, Fred and Virginia Merrill Distinguished Professor of Advanced Studies at University of Kansas, has been selected to join the Education Board at the American Health Council. She will be sharing her knowledge and expertise on Speech and Language Development and Disorders.

With over three decades of experience in the field of Speech Pathology, Dr. Rice offers valuable insight in her role as Fred and Virginia Merrill Distinguished Professor of Advanced Studies at University of Kansas. The University of Kansas serves as a public research and teaching university committed to preparing the next generation of educated citizens who will be instrumental to the global community.

As the Fred and Virginia Merrill Distinguished Professor of Advanced Studies at University of Kansas, Dr. Rice’s day-to-day responsibilities include teaching language impairments in children, researching language development and impairments; directing a Language Acquisition Studies Laboratory, mentoring 3-5 doctoral students; directing the interdisciplinary Child Language Doctoral Program and the Merrill Advanced Studies Center.   

Her scope of research focuses on language acquisition and language impairments, morphosyntax (grammar markers of language impairment), genetics of language, reading, and speech impairments; language acquisition and impairments in twins, language impairments in children affected by HIV, and language impairments in children with autism. As a researcher, Dr. Rice’s extensive list publications include “The Teachability of Language” and “Toward a Genetics of Language” and over one hundred peer-reviewed journal articles.

Beyond her teaching and clinical duties, Dr. Rice utilized her expertise to serve on the Advisory Council of the NIDCD, on the Communications Disorders Workgroup for American Psychiatric Association DSM-V, and as co-chair of the PhenX Speech and Hearing Working Group for the National Human Genome Research Institute. Additionally, she is a consultant for the Norwegian Institute for Public Health Longitudinal Study of Child Health Outcomes and Partner Investigator for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Cognition and its Disorders at MacQuarie University.  Dr. Rice also has ongoing research projects with colleagues at the University of Western Australia in Perth, Australia; with colleagues at the University of Nebraska; with a colleague at the University of St. Andrews, United Kingdom; with the NIH Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS) and with colleagues at Washington University, St Louis, Missouri.

In 1978, Dr. Rice earned her PhD in Speech Pathology from the University of Kansas. Prior to the completion of her PhD, Dr. Rice earned her Masters and Bachelor of Arts from University of Northern Iowa. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), American Psychological Association (APA), Association for Psychological Science (APS), and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).  She received Honors from ASHA in recognition of life-time scientific achievement.

Dr. Rice maintains affiliations with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), American Psychological Association (APA); Association for Psychological Science (APS); American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA); Linguistic Society of America (LSA), American Society of Human Genetics, and Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD).

Due to her strides in the field of Speech Pathology, Dr. Rice has received the John C. Wright Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award and the Alfred A. Kawana Council of Editors Award from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Dr. Rice’s desire to pursue the field of Speech Pathology developed when she began her career as a speech-language pathologist in public schools, where she first worked with children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI). For her PhD dissertation, Dr. Rice investigated children’s word learning. Meanwhile, Dr. Rice’s post-doctoral research encompassed effects of TV on children’s word learning, investigation of children with SLI, genetics of SLI, and language acquisition of children with HIV or exposed to HIV in utero.

Looking back, Dr. Rice attributes her success to opportunities to collaborate with scholars of diverse expertise, which challenged her to expand her research scope.
Considering the future, Dr. Rice hopes for continual of growth in research, and education at the University of Kansas.

About the American Health Council:
The American Health Council is the nation’s only organization with a constituency representative of all sectors of the healthcare industry. From the coasts to the heartland, the American Health Council has drawn Affiliates from major metropolitan hubs and small communities. These Affiliates span generations and have reached different stages of their careers — from recent graduates to retirees. More information about the American Health Council and its mission can be found at: http://americanhealthcouncil.org

Additionally, the American Health Council strives to provide recognition and support for those individuals and institutions making the difference in patients’ lives day in and day out. Throughout 2017, the AHC is honoring “America’s Best Doctors and Nurses,” as well as the nation’s best medical universities and hospitals. The American Health Council’s “Best in Medicine” and “Best in Nursing” awards programs honor the individuals and institutions that have contributed significantly to medicine and nursing, as well as the training and education of physicians and nurses. The most current selections for these honors may be viewed here: http://bestinmedicine.org and http://bestinnursing.org.

For more information, please contact:
Elizabeth Moore
American Health Council
Hauppauge, NY United States
Phone: 1-631-617-6590
Email: media@americanhealthcouncil.org