The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Nursing (SON) has appointed Ricki Loar, PhD, APRN-CNP, FNP-BC, GNP-BC, as the new director of the WE CARE Clinic at the SIUE East St. Louis Higher Education Campus. Loar assumes her new responsibilities on Monday, Dec. 3, bringing 34 years of comprehensive experience in the healthcare industry to the clinic.
“Dr. Loar brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in clinic operations, community outreach and clinical practice,” said Roberta Harrison, PhD, SON associate dean for academic programs and community/global partnerships, and associate professor of primary care and health systems nursing. “We are excited to have her join our School of Nursing leadership team.”
“This position is a perfect fit for me, because it combines my professional passions: patient care, education and organizational development and management,” said Loar, who is beginning her second term as president of the Illinois Society for Advanced Practice Nursing. “The reason that this triad is so professionally important is that combining these areas produces a significant impact on the delivery of evidence-based, high quality care.
“As the director of the WE CARE Clinic, I hope to work with the staff and faculty to broaden the visibility and utilization of the clinic, provide additional clinical opportunities for SIUE students, and develop enduring interprofessional relationships with other SIUE departments and community agencies.”
The director of the WE CARE Clinic is responsible for the efficient and effective operation, fiscal strength, and excellence of services provided at the primary care clinic and through community outreach services, which demonstrate the SIUE Values. The director holds leadership responsibility for facilities management, oversight of the infrastructure, systems, and tools required to support patient care, community efforts, educational and research opportunities, and for interprofessional students and faculty.
Loar is both a family and gerontological nurse practitioner with experience in clinical practice, education, administration and consulting. Loar’s clinical experience is in internal medicine, geriatrics, family practice, pain management and women’s health. The Chicago native enjoys working with underserved populations, developing relationships in order to increase access to care and networking with community agencies to eliminate healthcare disparities.
Loar has held faculty appointments at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and Resurrection University, where she taught in the graduate nursing programs. She was honored with induction to the Academy of Distinguished Teachers at UIC and was a Daisy Award nominee at Resurrection University.
Administratively, Loar has served as the chief operating officer of Be Well Partners in Health in Chicago, where she contributed to the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services grant that provided the funds to start the organization. She subsequently developed, implemented and evaluated all clinical programming and services. She owns two consulting companies: Strategic Nurse Practitioner Solutions, LLC and with her business partner, Elysia Healthcare, LLC.
Loar earned both bachelor’s and master’s in nursing at Rush University in Chicago. She earned her post-master’s FNP and GNP from UIC. She achieved a doctorate in human resource education with additional focus in organizational development from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Photo: Ricki Loar, director of the WE CARE Clinic at the SIUE East St. Louis Higher Education Campus.