The American Health Council is proud to appoint Pamela Pockras, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, to their Nursing Board. With 33 years in the healthcare industry, including 15 years in her present role, Pockras brings a wealth of skills and expertise in Neonatal Nursing and Breastfeeding to her affiliation with the American Health Council.

Driven by a passion for improving the health and lives of others, Pockras sought a career in nursing and earned her MS in Nursing from the University of Cincinnati (2001). She spent a year as a Lactation Consultant at the University of Cincinnati-West Chester before assuming her current position at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where she’s spent the last 15 years ensuring her patients and their newborns receive the highest quality care.

A member of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (2005-present), Pockras specializes in Neonatal Nursing and Breastfeeding. She has overseen a number of Quality Improvement Projects, including the development and implementation of a breastfeeding support group for NICU mothers (2004-2007), assisting the administration with the addition of a Lactation department, developing an acuity tracking tole for APNs in the NICU (2015-present), and leading a project to increase the percentage of infants in the NICU that are discharged receiving any maternal breastmilk (2014-2017). Along with her daily focus on assessing and improving patients’ health, Pockras has played an important role in several committees overseeing hospital processes, including the Practice Council, Lactation in the NICU, Intestinal rehabilitation group, and various Quality Improvement teams.

Pockras credits the influence of high school mentors and colleagues as driver of the success she’s achieved in her career, and in turn, she shares her expertise as a mentor for students and new APRNs. She counts her work mentoring the next generation of nurses among one of her proudest professional accomplishments.

For the next 5 years, Pockras looks forward to combining her passion for infants with her breastfeeding expertise to improve health outcomes for mothers and babies in the Greater Cincinnati Ohio area. She will also continue her commitment to helping others outside of her work in nursing, including her 10-year volunteer career in Youth Ministry and a 2017 mission trip to aid those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

When she’s not gardening, swimming, or reading, Pockras enjoys spending her spare time with her husband of 33 years and 2 children, as well as the rest of her family and friends.