Member News May 2026
Member Highlights
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The City University of New York features Valerie Esposito Kubanick after she received the APNA Award for Innovation — Individual, for pioneering new models of care that bridge clinical practice, specialized education, and provider wellness. See the article! |
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OPEN MINDS’ upcoming event “Building A Culture Of Safety To Transform Care: The Traumatic Stress Institute & RWJBarnabas Health Case Study” will host Nicole Powasnick as a featured speaker. See her bio! |
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Kirby Williams shares important insights on screening for Tardive Dyskinesia in The Clinical Advisor article “Medicare Policy Expansion: Implications for Patients With Tardive Dyskinesia.” Read on for more! |
The 2026 APNA Annual Award Recipients Have Been Announced!
Nine outstanding APNA members have been awarded APNA Annual Awards for their exceptional contributions to improve mental health outcomes through prevention, education, and science-based treatment.
Chizimuzo (Zim) Okoli, Psychiatric Nurse of the Year
Kathleen Delaney, Award for Distinguished Service
Karen Corcoran, Award for Excellence in Education
Valerie Esposito-Kubanick, Award for Innovation – Individual
Jennifer Jimenez, Award for Excellence in Leadership – APRN
Lynnette Morris, Award for Excellence in Leadership – RN
Pedro Morante, Award for Excellence in Practice – APRN
Gabbie A. Mathis, Award for Excellence in Practice – RN
Heeyoung Lee, Award for Excellence in Research and Scholarship
Members who received a 2026 JAPNA Author Award
The JAPNA Author Awards recognize authors who publish outstanding work in the Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (JAPNA) annually!
Tonjanika Ballard, Outstanding Quality Improvement Award
Nominees
Nicholas Guenzel, Outstanding Health Equity Award
Joy Scharfman, Outstanding Original Research Award
Members published in the May/June 2026 issue of JAPNA
Editorial
Michelle Decoux Hampton, Addressing the Barriers That Hinder Research and Scholarship Dissemination: Balancing Evidence-Based Approaches With Feasibility
Brief Report
Brayeden Kameg, Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Small-Group Standardized Patient Simulations to Enhance Therapeutic Communication Skills
Discussion Paper
Victor G. Petreca, When Diagnosis Becomes Identity: Navigating the Cultural Inflation of Psychiatric Diagnoses in Nursing Practice
Emily Bemben, An Untapped Solution to the Mental Health Crisis: Independent Practice for NPs
Board of Directors Column
Allyson Matney Neal, The Power of Community: Resilience
Interested in reading the full articles? APNA members have free access to issues of JAPNA. Join your dynamic community of psychiatric-mental health nurses: Become a member of APNA today!
Published May 2026
Share Your News with APNA!
Have you been featured in an article related to psychiatric-mental health nursing, received an award for your outstanding care, been noticed by your university for your research and scholarship, or have other exciting achievements to share with your network of colleagues?
