Nursing Student’s Interest in Kids' Arthritis Brings National Recognition

Her work to help children with rheumatic diseases has earned a graduate student at Samuel Merritt University (SMU) a prestigious fellowship and the opportunity to speak at the National Juvenile Arthritis Conference that begins today.

During the Arthritis Foundation’s annual event in Philadelphia, Vanessa Lazo will present a project she developed to train young adults on how to mentor teenagers about managing their disease as they transition into adulthood.

The peer-to-peer project is one of several she is working on in California as part of winning a fellowship from The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship for 2016-2017 to develop and implement educational tools to help children with rheumatoid diseases become healthy adults.

“It’s the most exciting thing I’ve done since I started my education,” said Lazo, who is in her second year of studying to become a nurse practitioner in SMU’s Entry Level Master of Science in Nursing program. “I’m receiving so many benefits and opportunities.”

Lazo began working with the Arthritis Foundation after doing her SMU pediatric clinical rotation last summer at Northern California’s only camp for children with juvenile arthritis and related diseases. Camp Milagros, which is Spanish for miracles, is an overnight summer camp in Livermore that serves children ages 8-13.

Juvenile arthritis (JA) is an umbrella term used to describe many autoimmune and inflammatory conditions or pediatric rheumatic diseases that can develop in children under the age of 16. Often associated with painful joints and muscles, various types of JA affect nearly 300,000 children in the United States. While there is no cure for JA, remission is possible with early diagnosis and aggressive treatment.

Lazo drew on Arthritis Foundation resources to create a curriculum designed to encourage 15 to 18-year-olds to become more responsible for managing their conditions and less dependent on others at home and at school.

“I understand why their disease limits them so much,” she said. “But my whole point is to empower them to do more.”

The curriculum, which Lazo has presented to several groups of teens in California this summer and may be implemented by the Arthritis Foundation nationwide, includes tips specifically designed for JA sufferers to make living with their condition easier in college.

For example, Lazo said, she recommends against drinking alcohol because it doesn’t mix well with arthritis medications and warns that a lack of sleep or stress can cause flares of autoimmune conditions. In addition, she offers advice for how to access disability benefits at college like getting a solo dorm room or more time to take tests.

Assistant Professor Marjorie Hammer, who has been a Schweitzer mentor for many years and persuaded Lazo to apply for the fellowship, said Lazo has blossomed thanks to her SMU clinical experiences and her work with the Arthritis Foundation.