Colleen Cameron

CCLS, M.Ed.
Undergraduate Director
Professor of Practice

Colleen Cameron is a Professor of Practice in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at Syracuse University, focusing on the intersection of curriculum and practice. Professor Cameron is a Certified Child Life Specialist and has held various appointments within the Association of Child Life Professionals. Professor Cameron completed her clinical training at the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital, and has held distinct clinical and supervisory positions at academic medical centers across the United States including the University of California and the State University of New York. Professor Cameron led the Department of Human Development and Family Science to become the first endorsed academic program by the Association of Child Life Professionals. Professor Cameron’s contributions as an active member of the Association of Child Life Professionals include functioning as an item writer for the Child Life Professional Certification Exam, Academic Program Reviewer, attending Academic Summits, and serving as the Co-Chair of the Academic Track Planning Group. Furthermore, Professor Cameron has received numerous awards for her research in interdisciplinary approaches to pediatric pain management from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Society of Pediatric Nurses, Pediatric Academic Society, and the International Association for the Study of Pain/Special Interest Group on Pain in Childhood. In addition, Professor Cameron actively serves as the Faculty Advisor for Camp Kesem, a student-run camp for children of adults facing cancer. She is also a Board Director for the Street Addiction Institute, a non-profit organization that serves to address the underlying trauma in communities impacted with violence. She has also served as a reviewer for the Journal of Pediatrics and the International Journal of Play.

Clinical Expertise

Pediatric procedural support; non-pharmacological pain intervention for acute procedures; institutional policy development in pediatric pain management; trauma-informed medical education; navigation of the patient experience and family-centered healthcare; mechanics of play in pediatric healthcare settings; pediatric health literacy and communication; end of life care in pediatric emergency and trauma medicine.

Education

CCLS, Association of Child Life Professionals, 1999

M.Ed., Special Education, Social/Emotional/Behavioral Disability, Conduct Disorder, Learning Disability. Advisor: Kyle Higgins. University of Nevada, 2002

B.S., Psychology/Child Life, Advisor: Civita Brown. Syracuse University, 1998

Specialization

Impact of illness, injury and hospitalization on child and family development; impact of adult behavior, social and institutional infrastructures on pediatric pain; developmentally appropriate practice in pediatric healthcare; therapeutic and medical play programming; family-centered environmental design in pediatric healthcare; pediatric palliative care in a multicultural context; psychosocial dimensions of pediatric hospice and palliative care.

Courses

HFS 255 Interpersonal Competence

HFS 325 Children and Families in Medical Settings

HFS 326 Developmental Perspectives in Medical Language R

HFS 331 Play, Childhood Development and Early Education

HFS 447 Principles and Practices in Parenting

HFS 395 Risk, Resilience, and Intervention

HFS 423 Death, Dying and Loss: Child and Family Perspectives

Recent Publications

  • Baish Cameron, C. & Lozito-Yorton, R. (2019). An ethical focus on academic programs and clinical internships: Increasing diversity in our professional population. ACLP Bulletin, 37 (3).
  • Baish Cameron, C. & Patte, M. (2018). A typology of play in medical settings. In Smith, P.K., & Roopnarine, J.L. (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Play: Developmental and Disciplinary Perspectives(pp. 615-629). Cambridge University Press.
  • Botash, A. S., Jeski, M., Cameron, C. B., Nelsen, E. K., Haines, P., & Bennett, N. (2013). Look before you LEAPP™: An interprofessional approach to bedside pediatric inpatient procedures. BMJ Open Quality, 2(1), u632-w1249.