American Psychiatric-Nurses Association Announces 2025 APNA Annual Awards Recipients
Nine psychiatric-mental health nurses highlighted for exceptional contributions to improve mental health outcomes through prevention, education, and science-based treatment.
Falls Church, VA, May 8, 2025 – The American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) has announced the selection of nine extraordinary nurses in the field of psychiatric-mental health (PMH) as recipients of a prestigious APNA Annual Award.
The APNA Annual Awards recognize PMH nurse members who demonstrate excellence in psychiatric-mental health nursing practice, education, leadership, community efforts, and more. The 2025 recipients include nurses positively impacting those in rural environments, communities affected by the opioid epidemic, individuals with cancer, and thousands of students and healthcare professionals.
“The APNA Annual Awards highlight the profound impact psychiatric-mental health nurses have on the lives of those they serve,” said APNA President Joyce Shea. “These nine nurses embody the leadership, expertise, and compassion that drive real change in mental health care and improve outcomes for individuals and communities alike.”
Nominated by their peers, the 2025 APNA Annual Awards Recipients were chosen for this honor by the APNA Awards & Recognition Committee. These nurses will be honored at the APNA 39th Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 15-18, 2025.
The 2025 APNA Annual Award recipients:
APNA Psychiatric Nurse of the Year
Matthew Tierney, MS, CNS, ANP, CARN-AP, PMHNP, FAAN, Lead Nurse Practitioner, Opiate Treatment Outpatient Program at San Francisco General Hospital
A nationally recognized leader in psychiatric-mental health nursing, Tierney helped establish the nation’s first clinic dedicated exclusively to the initiation of buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder, a model replicated across the US. At UCSF Health, he has led major substance use care initiatives in roles as Clinical Director and Medical Director, improving access to substance use care for vulnerable populations. A key advocate for the 2016 CARA legislation, Tierney‘s work informed APRN prescribing rights for buprenorphine. He also co-developed the APNA Effective Treatments for Opioid Use Disorders programs, which have reached over 70,000 nurses. As the inaugural Chair of the APNA Addictions Council and then as APNA President, he advanced national addictions education, policy, and practice standards. With dozens of publications and ongoing leadership in national forums, Tierney continues to shape psychiatric-mental health nursing through clinical innovation, education, and mentorship.
APNA Award for Distinguished Service
Geraldine Pearson, PhD, APRN, FAAN, Retired
As Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (JAPNA) from 2015–2024, Pearson elevated the journal to national prominence, growing its readership to be the largest among PMH nursing journals. As Editor, she connected the journal to global publishing standards through roles with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Academy of Nursing Editors (INANE). She also introduced special issues on topics such as substance use and shaped practice and policy through her editorials. A dedicated APNA leader and mentor, Dr. Pearson developed highly attended workshops on publishing, mentored emerging nurse scholars and editors, and helped select and prepare her successor as JAPNA Editor.
APNA Award for Excellence in Practice – RN
Cornelius Metili, BSN, RN, PMH-BC, Psychiatric Consult Service Dept, Children’s Health Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
Known for his expertise in de-escalation and trauma-informed care, Metili helped establish a specialized nurse role within behavioral emergency response teams at multiple Dallas-Fort Worth hospitals, reducing use of restraints and incidents of workplace violence. He served on the APNA Texas Chapter Board for eight years, serves on the APNA Council for Safe Environments Steering Committee and has presented at numerous conferences on workplace violence prevention and recovery-oriented care.
APNA Award for Excellence in Practice – APRN
Gabrielle Abelard, DNP, PMHNP, PMHCNS-BC, APRN, FNAP, FAAN, Chief Executive Officer, Abelard Psychotherapy & Associates
Known for her patient-centered, culturally sensitive approach to care, Abelard has leveraged her practice to expand mental health services across Massachusetts, serving over 5,300 clients in more than 10 languages. She developed a year-long fellowship program, training 53 clinicians in culturally competent, evidence-based care and is a committed mentor to nurse clinicians.
APNA Award for Excellence in Leadership – RN
Maxine Smalling, MS, BS(N), RN, Chief Executive Nursing Officer, New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH)
An exemplary nursing leader with an impeccable commitment to driving innovative initiatives to improve the quality of nursing practice and excellence in patient care across the OMH system of care, Smalling led the implementation and establishment of a Nurse Residency Program and an NP Fellowship Program to support new nurses and nurse practitioners in her system. Her leadership has resulted in enhanced benefits for her staff and enhanced nursing leadership capacity at each facility to drive excellence in nursing practice. Smalling’s dedication and commitment to excellence is further reflected in her current leadership involving the adoption and integration of Caring Science as the framework of OMH nursing practice.
APNA Award for Excellence in Leadership – APRN
Elizabeth Archer-Nanda, DNP, PMHCNS-BC, FAPOS, Clinical Director, Advanced Practice; Manager, Behavioral Oncology Program; Psychiatric CNS, Norton Healthcare
Archer-Nanda founded the Behavioral Oncology Program at Norton Cancer Institute in 2004, growing it from one person into a large multidisciplinary team. She is a past-president of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society and has mentored psycho-oncology APRNs nationwide. She has delivered more than 50 presentations on integrating mental health into cancer care and contributed to key publications. Archer-Nanda also led initiatives to expand access to mental health services for medically complex patients and works to support provider well-being initiatives.
APNA Award for Excellence in Education
Kerry Peterson, PhD, DNP, PMHCNS-BC, PMHNP-BC, CNE, FAANP, Associate Professor, Psychiatric Mental Health Endowed Professorship, and Specialty Director of PMHNP Program, University of Colorado College of Nursing.
Peterson created a new PMHNP program, grew a robust PMHNP simulation initiative, and pioneered stress impact and violence prevention courses for nursing students. She leads the largest PMHNP program in Colorado, mentoring over 150 students and maintaining a 100% ANCC certification pass rate. She developed a novel 45-hour skills course during the pandemic to ensure timely graduation, collaborated on a Trauma Informed Care module for the Colorado Behavioral Health Administration, secured over $680,000 in grant funding, and consults nationally and internationally on PMHNP education.
APNA Award for Excellence in Research and Scholarship
Kathryn Phillips, PhD, APRN, CHSE, Associate Professor, Fairfield University
As Principal Investigator of a $2.6 million HRSA grant, Philips is enhancing PMHNP education with a focus on telehealth, cultural competence, and wellness. She co-led the development of trauma and resilience competencies for nursing education and has co-led studies examining restraint chair use as a more humane alternative to 4-point restraints in psychiatric care. Her research focuses on resilience-building.
APNA Award for Innovation – Individual
Joanne Patterson, DNP, MSN, PMHNP-BC, Nurse Practitioner, Dr. Joanne Psychiatry, LLC
Patterson has made significant strides in accessible mental healthcare through her innovative tiny house psychiatric clinic, Nurse Practitioners on Wheels®️. It is the first of its kind where she creates mobile cozy mental health care experiences for women and children. She has become a leader in addressing the high rates of prenatal and postpartum depression in Georgia and her groundbreaking work has been nationally recognized, most recently on the Kelly Clarkson Show.
About the APNA Annual Conference: The APNA 39th Annual Conference will be held on October 15-18 at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The largest annual gathering of psychiatric-mental health nurses in the U.S., the APNA Annual Conference delivers varied sessions and networking opportunities to the more than 2,000 psychiatric-mental health RNs and APRNs who attend.
About APNA: The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is a national professional membership organization committed to the practice of psychiatric-mental health nursing and wellness promotion, prevention of mental health problems, and the care and treatment of persons with psychiatric disorders. APNA’s membership is inclusive of all psychiatric-mental health registered nurses including associate degree, baccalaureate, advanced practice (comprised of clinical nurse specialists and psychiatric nurse practitioners), and nurse scientists and academicians (PhD). APNA serves as a resource for psychiatric-mental health nurses to engage in networking, education, and the dissemination of evidence.
The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
