Alison Rice is Assistant Professor Emerita of Nursing at UBC. She obtained a Midwifery Diploma from the Birmingham Maternity Hospital, a Bachelor's in Science (Nursing) from UBC, and a Master's of Science from the University of California San Francisco, a Maternal Nurse Associate. She became a Registered Midwife (College of Midwives of British Columbia) in 1998. In the early 1980s, along with Elaine Carty and several nurses, physicians, and midwives, Rice helped establish the Low-Risk Clinic. The Low-Risk Clinic was a pilot project for midwives that operated out of Grace Hospital; it later developed into the Nurse-Midwifery Service. Rice was a dedicated advocate for the legal recognition and designation of midwifery as a health profession in British Columbia. After several years of advocacy, consultation, and public hearings, in 1998, midwifery became a publicly funded, legally regulated profession in B.C. under the B.C. Health Professions Act. Rice had a long-standing interest in issues on women's health. At UBC, she taught women's health care courses, wrote, and presented papers on midwifery, including neo-natal care and maternal nursing. Rice was the first nurse practitioner to practice in the Planned Parenthood/Vancouver Clinic, playing a central role in developing their Cap and Diaphragm Clinics. She has also worked with the Vancouver Status of Women and the Center of Excellence in Women's Health. Rice was also involved with the Maternal Health Society and served as a past president of the Midwives Association of British Columbia.