Meet our 2024 commencement speaker

Bridgette Rice, PhD, MDiv, APRN, FAAN, a nurse scientist who advocates for new research approaches in community health, will be the keynote speaker at the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing commencement ceremony on May 8.

Rice is the Richard and Marianne Kreider Endowed Professor in Nursing for Vulnerable Populations at the Villanova University M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, where she is associate dean for research and innovation. 

An expert in behavioral health and intervention development, Rice’s innovative work examines the role of geography in health to address issues including youth mental health service access, gun violence, and cardiovascular disease risk among Black male youth.  

“Dr. Rice is a distinguished researcher whose mission of pursuing health care for all mirrors Loyola Nursing’s vision of reducing health disparities. She exemplifies what it means to be a leader and a person for others in health care, and we could not be more pleased to welcome her to Loyola,” Dean Lorna Finnegan said.  

Rice has received numerous honors, including a fellowship in the American Academy of Nursing and the Diversity and Equity Award from the International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses.