A photo of Ward Rice.

Attending Neonatologist, Neonatology and Pulmonary Biology

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

513-636-3149

513-636-7868

Board Certified

My Biography & Research

Biography

The research area I am most interested in is the neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS). The type of issues that my colleagues and I are attempting to solve include lowering the length of hospital stay and reducing the opioid exposure among this infant patient population.

I was led to this specific research area because it has become a major problem nationwide and has specifically been a significant issue in the state of Kentucky, where I have worked.

The patient care I specialize in includes neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome. This work is with infants who have faced opioid exposure in the womb. I was inspired to become a healthcare provider and work with infants because I enjoy being hands-on and taking care of tiny babies and their parents.

I received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to pursue my research with infants exposed to opioids in the womb.

I have more than 35 years of experience in neonatology. I first began working at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital as a neonatology fellow in 1981. My research has been published in several journals, including American Journal of Perinatology: Neonatal and Maternal-Fetal Medicine and The Journal of Pediatrics.

Clinical Interests

Hypotension in ELBW infants; EMR

Research Interests

Processing of surfactant protein C

Academic Affiliation

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

Clinical Divisions

Newborn Intensive Care NICU, Neonatology, Perinatal

Research Divisions

Neonatology, Pulmonary Biology

My Education

PhD: University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 1972-76.

PhD: Biochemistry, Thesis Advisor: T.L. Steck, MD, Thesis: "Pyruvate Flux Across The Isolated Human Erythrocyte Membrane."

MD: University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 1972-78.

Internship: Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, 1978-79.

Residency: Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, 1979-81.

Fellowship Neonatology: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Children's Hospital Medical Center, 1981-83.

Certification: Pediatrics, 1983; Sub-board Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, 1983.

My Publications

Buprenorphine pharmacotherapy for the management of neonatal abstinence syndrome in methadone‐exposed neonates. Taleghani, AA; Isemann, BT; Rice, WR; Ward, LP; Wedig, KE; Akinbi, HT. 2019; 1:33-38.

Comparison of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Treatment with Sublingual Buprenorphine versus Conventional Opioids. Hall, ES; Rice, WR; Folger, AT; Wexelblatt, SL. American Journal of Perinatology. 2018; 35:405-412.

Creating the Subspecialty Pediatrics Investigator Network. Mink, R; Carraccio, C; High, P; Dammann, C; McGann, KA; Kesselheim, J; Herman, B; Pitts, S; Baffa, G; Turner, DA; et al. Journal of Pediatrics. 2018; 192:3-4.e2.