Mental Health
Nancy P. Hanrahan, PhD, RN, FAAN
Dr. Lenore H. Kurlowicz Term Associate Professor of Nursing
Through forward-looking research on the nursing workforce, Dr. Nancy Hanrahan addresses the potential of psychiatric nurses to integrate mental health in primary care services and to manage cognitive symptoms across all chronic illnesses. Her work, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, focuses on inpatient psychiatric outcomes and testing transitional care models for patients discharged from hospital treatment for a psychiatric condition.
Dr. Hanrahan applies brain and behavior neuroscience and psychopharmacology in mental health. She has been appointed to the behavioral health steering committee of the National Quality Forum, working to establish priorities to improve the delivery of behavioral health services, achieve better behavioral health outcomes, and improve the behavioral health of the U.S. population, especially in the areas of mental illness and substance abuse.
Dr. Hanrahan is leading Penn Nursing’s Game Solutions for Healthcare initiative, a competition for interdisciplinary teams to create and enhance games, tools, and apps to address healthcare problems. One of the games is Mission Reintegration which aims to assist military personnel with the return to civilian life, interpersonal relationships, and PTSD symptom recognition and management.
“Psychiatric nurses are building the science of effective patient and family care and optimal interventions across the healthcare system,” explains Dr. Hanrahan, “and can stand as leaders working with policymakers on health policy reform.”
Biography »
Expertise
- Mental health policy and evaluation of mental health delivery systems
- Neuro-cognitive impairment and cognitive symptom management in chronic illness
- Novel applications of gaming and digital applications in mental health
Related Publications
Health Care Reform and the Federal Transformation Initiatives: Capitalizing on the Potential of Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses (August, 2010)