Me, Professionally

I have been a Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner with an emphasis in psychiatric and mental health psycho-pharmacology since 1999. In 1999, when I became a Nurse Practitioner, there were no programs or board certification for what is now a Psychiatric Mental Health Practitioner - that is why I am a F.N.P. and not a P.M.H.N.P. (some people do ask). I have over 20 years of clinical experience in psychiatric/mental health nursing. Prior to becoming a Nurse Practitioner, I was a Registered Nurse and ran inpatient child and adolescent psychiatric unit for seven years.

I have also owned and operated a pharmaceutical clinical trials business since 1999. During this time I worked on almost 100 clinical trials, many of which include the development of the medications we have used, currently use, and are yet to use in psychiatry. I have written my own protocols for original investigator initiated clinical trials and have presented my work at The American Psychiatric Association's Annual Meeting, The National Institute of Mental Health's Annual New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit (NCDEU) meeting, and also at the U.S. Psychiatric Congress Annual Meeting. I was the first nurse practitioner to be invited to The American Psychiatric Association's Annual Meeting to present original work in 2004.