Dr. Loretta C. Ford, co-founder of the first NP Program in the United States (1965), was recently interviewed by Dr. Wendy Wright at NPACE’s Hollywood, Florida conference. Watch the video and take a walk down memory lane as Dr. Ford and Dr. Wright discuss the challenges and victories that forged a path for advanced practice independence over the past four decades. Dr. Ford’s story will enlighten and motivate us all to keep working towards improved practice opportunities and professional success in the future.

Loretta Ford, EdD, RN, PNP, FAAN, FAANP was named a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing in 1999. In 2003, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from The Nurse Practitioner. She was honored with the Elizabeth Blackwell Award from Hobart and William Smith Colleges that same year; the award honors “a woman whose life exemplifies outstanding service to humanity.” In 2011 she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and in 2012 into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame.