In the inspiring Season 5 finale of Mental Health Trailblazers: Psychiatric Nurses Speak Up, host Indrias Kassaye sits down with Dr. Eugenia Flores Millender — a proud U.S. Army veteran, MFP/ANA alumna, mental health nurse scientist, psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner, and Principal Investigator of the Minority Fellowship Program at the American Nurses Association. She also serves as President-Elect of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association.

In this inspiring episode of Mental Health Trailblazers: Psychiatric Nurses Speak Up, host Indrias Kassaye sits down with Nephetalie Jules, a proud alumna of the Minority Fellowship Program at the American Nurses Association, to explore how trauma-informed care is transforming mental health services for youth, families, and underserved communities.

Rural America is facing a silent crisis: substance use disorders are rising while provider shortages are persistent and growing. In this episode, Dr. Serge Wandji reveals how untreated addiction destabilizes families and communities—and shares community-driven solutions to bring healing where it’s needed most.

What does it take to “nurse the future”? In this powerful episode of Mental Health Trailblazers: Psychiatric Nurses Speak Up, host Indrias Kassaye speaks with Dr. Nia Josiah — psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, educator, and researcher — whose innovative work bridges inclusion, access, innovation, and care.

What does it mean to transform trauma into purpose? In this powerful episode of Mental Health Trailblazers: Psychiatric Nurses Speak Up!, we meet Steve Li — a Yale-trained psychiatric nurse, immigrant rights advocate, and MFP at the American Nurses Association master's fellow — whose personal story is as moving as his mission. Host Indrias Kassaye sits down with Steve to explore his extraordinary path from growing up undocumented and experiencing family separation, to becoming a compassionate force for change in mental health care. Fluent in Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, and English, Steve shares how language, cultural humility, and lived experience help him break through stigma and isolation to build trust and connection with youth, immigrant communities, and underserved families.

In this powerful episode of Mental Health Trailblazers: Psychiatric Nurses Speak Up!, MFP at the American Nurses Association alumna and pediatric nurse practitioner Enyo Dzata takes us inside her mission to help children not only heal but thrive — in school, at home, and in their communities. From early influences shaped by her midwife mother to leading care in school-based health centers, Enyo shares candid stories of breaking stigma, bridging cultural gaps, and advocating fiercely for families.

What happens when trauma follows you home from the battlefield? In this gripping episode of Mental Health Trailblazers: Psychiatric Nurses Speak Up, host Indrias Kassaye sits down with Monique Swaby, a doctoral fellow with the MFP at the American Nurses Association, Navy veteran, and fierce advocate for behavioral health equity.

In this powerful episode of Mental Health Trailblazers: Psychiatric Nurses Speak Up!, host Indrias Kassaye sits down with nurse leader and MFP/ANA doctoral fellow Kim Kim to explore the critical—and often overlooked—connection between diabetes, mental health, and culturally responsive care.

In this episode of Mental Health Trailblazers: Psychiatric Nurses Speak Up, host Indrias Kassaye sits down with Dr. Shaquita ‘Hanifa Matuko’ Starks—a nurse practitioner, educator, MFP/ANA alumna, and spiritual minister who’s challenging the way we think about mental health care. Drawing from her clinical practice, research, and life experience, Dr. Starks offers a grounded and deeply human perspective on what it takes to truly support people who are navigating stress, trauma, and the everyday weight of caregiving—especially in communities where support can be hard to come by, and mental health struggles are often carried in silence.

How did a generation raised with every advantage end up drowning in anxiety? Dr. Vickye Hayter— psychiatric mental health nurse scientist, therapist, and MFP alum—joins host Indrias Kassaye to unpack the deepening mental health crisis affecting Gen Z and their parents. From concerted effort parenting and screen addiction to school dissatisfaction and parental burnout, she delivers bold insights and real-world strategies to help families reconnect, reset, and heal. Dr. Hayter also highlights the vital role nurses play in this process—not just as clinicians, but as connectors. Nurses are uniquely positioned to restore human connection and ground families through presence, empathy, and care that reflects people's lived experiences and unique needs. They are on the front lines of nursing the future, offering healing that goes beyond screens and diagnoses.

In this moving episode of Mental Health Trailblazers: Psychiatric Nurses Speak Up!, host Indrias Kassaye welcomes Dr. Rika Win, a proud MFP at the American Nurses Association alumna and rising leader in psychiatric nursing, whose life journey from Burmese refugee to Doctor of Nursing Practice exemplifies resilience, empathy, and innovation in care. With a background that spans postpartum nursing, trauma-informed behavioral health, global health engagement, and culturally responsive psychiatric care, Dr. Win brings a holistic and urgently relevant perspective to the challenges facing refugee and immigrant communities today.

Kicking off Season 5 of Mental Health Trailblazers, Dr. Audrey Strock brings powerful testimony to this season’s call to Nurse the Future. An alumna of the Minority Fellowship Program at the American Nurses Association, Dr. Strock shares how lived adversity, cultural humility, and unwavering commitment to care led her to build a thriving psychiatric practice serving thousands across Colorado —from the heart of Denver to some of the state’s most remote mountain and rural communities. Grounded in a trauma-informed and family-centered approach, her work makes one truth resoundingly clear: mental health is family health. This episode sets the tone for a season dedicated to strengthening care for youth, families, and the communities they call home.

This season, we’re not just imagining the future—we’re nursing it! Building on the powerful reflections and momentum of Season 4, which marked 50 years of the Minority Fellowship Program at the American Nurses Association, Season 5 looks boldly ahead. Under the theme “Nurse the Future: Advancing Care for Youth, Families & Communities,” we’re spotlighting the urgent behavioral health needs of children, adolescents, and families in underserved communities.

In the season 4 finale of Mental Health Trailblazers, Psychiatric Nurses Speak Up! host Indrias Kassaye sits down with two pivotal figures behind the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) at the American Nurses Association: Janet Jackson, Project Director, and Samuel Suraphel, Digital Program Manager. Often working behind the scenes, Janet and Samuel are the program's driving force, tirelessly steering its mission to support psychiatric mental health nurses from underrepresented backgrounds and advance psychiatric mental health care for diverse communities.

Dr. Giovanna de Oliveira, an alumna of the Minority Fellowship Program at the American Nurses Association and Associate Professor at the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies shares her journey from Peru to the U.S., where she discovered her passion for nursing, inspired by the compassionate care of Filipino nurses and her pediatrician father. Over her 28-year career, Dr. de Oliveira has evolved into a psychiatric mental health nurse scientist, deeply committed to addressing mental health disparities in underrepresented communities, particularly among Hispanic populations.

Rashida Charles, PhD candidate at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, and doctoral fellow in the Minority Fellowship Program at the American Nurses Association shares her journey from a first-generation Haitian-American background to her role as a trailblazing nurse scientist, shedding light on how her community roots and lived experiences shape her passion for health equity, particularly for Black men and marginalized groups.

Dr. Thomas Sargent, a two-time Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) alumnus, whose journey from an unexpected nudge into nursing to becoming a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is nothing short of remarkable, shares his personal story of breaking through the barriers of a predominantly white, female-dominated profession as an African American male nurse practitioner. Dr. Sargent also opens up about the deeply personal connections he forms with patients, including Black men who find comfort and trust in seeing a provider who understands their unique experiences.

Alice Dressler, a doctoral fellow in the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP), shares her story of immigrating to the U.S. in 2017 and how her early life experiences, being born under China’s one-child policy and adopted as an infant, shaped her commitment to healthcare. Initially trained as a civil engineer, Alice decided to pursue nursing after witnessing the mental health struggles of patients and healthcare workers during the pandemic. Now working in Colorado, she serves low-income women and children from minority backgrounds, focusing on mental health care for those with significant trauma histories.

In this special episode, recorded during the MFP's 2024 Summer Intensive Training Institute in Washington, D.C., host Indrias Kassaye brings together an accomplished panel of MFP alumni to celebrate the program's 50-year legacy and explore the future of psychiatric and mental health care for underserved communities. Join us as Dr. John Lowe, Dr. Eugenia Millender, Dr. Rosa Gonzalez-Guarda, Dr. Mary Lou de Leon Siantz, Dr. Kalisha Bonds-Johnson, and Dr. LaKeetra Josey share their journeys, groundbreaking research, and the profound impact they’ve had on the lives of those they serve.

As one of the earliest fellows of the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) at the American Nurses Association, Dr. Willa Doswell, a distinguished Associate Professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Development at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, shares her inspiring journey into psychiatric mental health nursing—a path she was drawn to by a profound experience that highlighted the critical importance of mental health care. Reflecting on 50 years of the MFP, Dr. Doswell discusses the evolving landscape of mental health care for communities of color, highlighting the persistent challenges and the program's significant impact in preparing nurses to address these issues.