Mental Health Trailblazers: Psychiatric Nurses Speak Up

Dr. Eugenia Flores Millender traces a path from a young nurse searching for her voice to a force reshaping psychiatric-mental health care. An Afro-Indigenous Latina from Panama, she brings lived experience to the front lines of innovation—championing culturally grounded care, trauma-informed healing, and data-driven solutions. Today, she is a national and international leader advancing mental-health equity, building systems that meet communities where they are, and setting a new standard for how mental health care is delivered.

She calls on nurses to claim their rightful role not only as part of the conversation, but as architects, leading AI and digital-health design and shaping the systems that will define mental-health care for generations, nationally and globally.

Authentic, hopeful, and filled with hard-earned wisdom, this conversation is a moving reflection on what it means to nurse the future — with courage, compassion, and purpose.

Learn more about Dr. Eugenia Flores Millender at https://emfp.org/about-us/national-advisory-committee/eugenia-millender

Nurses can earn free Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) credits for listening to this episode. Full details will be announced at the end of the season.

From her early nursing experiences in Tampa, Florida, to her advocacy for culturally responsive and compassionate care, Nephetalie shares how listening with empathy—and asking, “What happened to you?” instead of “What’s wrong with you?”—can change everything.

Discover how nurses can break cycles of trauma, address stigma in communities of color, and bring healing to both patients and themselves through mindfulness, empathy, and advocacy. Nephetalie also discusses how technology and telehealth can integrate trauma-informed practices and what it means to “nurse the future” in today’s rapidly evolving mental health landscape.

Tune in for a heartfelt conversation that reminds us that every patient’s story matters—and that healing begins with understanding.

Learn more about Nephetalie Jules at https://emfp.org/mfp-fellows/nephetalie-jules

Nurses can earn free Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) credits for listening to this episode. Full details will be announced at the end of the season.

Substance use disorder is one of the most pressing health challenges in rural America. According to the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), nearly 65% of all federally designated primary care shortage areas are in rural communities, and more than 60% of mental health professional shortage areas are rural as well (HRSA, March 31, 2025). These provider shortages are persistent and growing, leaving millions of Americans without timely or reliable access to behavioral health services—even as rural communities continue to experience high rates of substance use and related harms.

In this episode of Mental Health Trailblazers: Psychiatric Nurses Speak Up!, Dr. Serge Wandji, MFP at the American Nurses Association alumnus and nurse scientist, shares with host Indrias Kassaye how his early research uncovered the struggles of rural Black men living with addiction. Today, his work expands to underserved communities across the rural South, showing how untreated substance use destabilizes families, harms children, and weakens entire communities.

Dr. Wandji discusses why behavioral health must be integrated into primary care, how nurses and behavioral health specialists can apply research to real-world rural settings, and the importance of community-driven, culturally grounded approaches to recovery. According to Dr. Wandji, breaking the silence around substance use in rural America is the first step toward building healthier, more resilient communities.

Learn more about Dr. Serge Wandji at https://emfp.org/mfp-fellows/serge-wandji

For more information on access to care and mental health professional shortages, visit:

https://bhw.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/bureau-health-workforce/state-of-the-primary-care-workforce-report-2024.pdf

https://data.hrsa.gov/Default/GenerateHPSAQuarterlyReport

https://data.hrsa.gov/topics/health-workforce/nchwa/ahrf

Nurses can earn free Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) credits for listening to this episode. Full details will be announced at the end of the season.

From tackling intergenerational trauma with Bowenian Family Therapy, to confronting bias in reproductive health, to exploring how climate change and artificial intelligence shape pediatric mental health, Dr. Josiah is redefining what compassionate, culturally responsive care looks like.

Listeners will hear how her journey from home health aide to nursing scholar fuels her passion for justice, how she’s pioneering simulation-based training for crisis response, and how her nurse-led EBAN Wellness Initiative, a community mental health program she designed to integrate nutrition, movement, and emotional wellness for children and families in underserved communities, is transforming community health from the ground up.

Whether you’re a nursing student, a mental health professional, or simply curious about how we can build systems that honor culture, equity, and humanity, this episode offers hope, insight, and a roadmap for the future of care.

Learn more about Dr. Nia Josiah at https://emfp.org/mfp-fellows/nia-a-josiah

Nurses can earn free Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) credits for listening to this episode. Full details will be announced at the end of the season.

Tune in as Steve discusses:

• How community saved his life — and how he's paying it forward
• The mental health toll of immigration-related trauma
• Why culturally competent care and bilingual nursing matter
• What the U.S. can learn from global mental health systems
• The power of nursing in advocating for equity and justice

This is more than a conversation — it's a call to action for nurses, policymakers, and advocates to lead with empathy, cultural understanding, and courage.

Listen now and discover how Steve Li is nursing the future with heart, advocacy, and grit.

Learn more about Steve Li at https://emfp.org/mfp-fellows/steve-li

Nurses can earn free Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) credits for listening to this episode. Full details will be announced at the end of the season.

Discover how she navigates the complexities of diagnosing and treating ADHD, anxiety, and trauma, the disparities in care that leave many children unseen, and the role nurses play in ensuring no student “falls through the cracks.” Whether you’re a nursing student, educator, parent, or advocate, this conversation is a masterclass in compassionate, culturally responsive, and evidence-based care.

Listen now and learn how early intervention, family engagement, and nurse-led advocacy can transform a child’s life — and their future.

Learn more about Enyo Dzata at https://emfp.org/mfp-fellows/vivian-dzata 

Nurses can earn free Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) credits for listening to this episode. Full details will be announced at the end of the season.

From her firsthand experiences in the military to her work at the VA and Department of Defense, Monique shares deeply personal and professional insights on the urgent mental health needs of veterans, military families, and underserved communities. She opens up about how her own experiences with intimate partner violence and traumatic brain injury shaped her nursing journey—and why she believes psychiatric nurses must lead the charge in dismantling stigma, improving access to care, and making behavioral health support culturally relevant and family-centered.

Whether you’re a nursing student, behavioral health professional, or policymaker, this is a must-listen conversation about resilience, purpose, and reimagining care for those who serve.

Learn more about Monique Swaby at https://emfp.org/mfp-fellows/monique-swaby

Nurses can earn free Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) credits for listening to this episode. Full details will be announced at the end of the season.

Kim shares her deeply personal journey from being a young caregiver for her daughter and mother to becoming a nationally recognized nurse educator and advocate. Along the way, she opens up about confronting diabetes distress, navigating intergenerational trauma, and breaking through the stigma and shame that often surround chronic illness—especially in medically underserved communities.

Listeners will learn how mental health support, community-informed approaches, and compassionate nursing care can transform lives—not just for individuals living with diabetes, but for their families and support networks as well.

Whether you’re a nursing student, behavioral health provider, diabetes educator, or someone caring for a loved one, this episode offers insight, healing, and hope.

Tune in to hear how Kim Kim is reimagining care, advocating for mental health for all, and building a future where no one has to navigate chronic illness alone.

Learn more about Kim Kim at https://emfp.org/mfp-fellows/kim-kim

Nurses can earn free Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) credits for listening to this episode. Full details will be announced at the end of the season.

In this episode you will hear:

• Why so many caregivers fall through the cracks when it comes to mental health support
• How stress and trauma show up differently in different communities—and why we need better tools to recognize it
• What it means to bring faith, ritual, and spirituality into the healing process
• How nurses and future mental health professionals can show up with compassion, curiosity, and cultural humility
• What it looks like to truly see your patients—not just their symptoms

Dr. Starks is proof that there's more than one way to care—and that healing is about more than just medication and diagnosis. It’s about listening, respecting people’s full humanity, and tapping into what already keeps them strong.

Whether you’re a nursing student, an aspiring therapist, someone who’s been through hard things and exploring your own path to healing or supporting a loved one, or just curious about what real, inclusive care looks like—this conversation will stay with you.

Dr. Starks’ insights are a reminder that care doesn’t have to look one way—and that honoring the whole person is essential to helping them heal.

Nurses can earn free Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) credits for listening to this episode. Full details will be announced at the end of the season.

Listen now to discover why healing starts at home—and how nurses can lead the way in helping a generation reclaim connection and resilience. 

Nurses can earn free Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) credits for listening to this episode. Full details will be announced at the end of the season.

Learn more about Dr. Vickye Hayter at https://emfp.org/mfp-fellows/vickye-hayter