The International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses (ISPN) announces Dr. Barbara Peterson, PhD, PMHCNS-BC, APRN, FNAP, was inducted as its new board President during its annual conference held April 3-6 in Providence, RI. Peterson succeeds Shawn Gallagher, PhD, PMHNP-BC, PMHCNS-BC, FNP-BC, who served as President in 2023, and has served on the ISPN Board since 2019.
She has served in a variety of roles in ISPN, including the conference planning committee, the DEI committee, the policy committee, and the Board of Directors. In her role as president, Peterson says, "I am excited to continue working on ISPN strategies and initiatives and supporting psychiatric nursing around the globe.”
Peterson is Clinical Professor with the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. She is the Specialty Coordinator of the Psychiatric-Mental Health Doctor of Nursing Practice (PMHDNP) program and the Director of Inclusivity, Diversity and Equity for the School of Nursing. Peterson’s service leadership combines her academic and personal commitment to fostering a just and inclusive school climate, promoting health equity and mental health and wellness.
As a champion of global mental health and education, Peterson has traveled with students to Brazil, Iceland, and Cuba. Her global service includes working with a woman-run health clinic in a squatter settlement near Guatemala City, Guatemala; teaching with One Health Workforce in Nairobi, Kenya; and teaching mental health first aid to first responders in Arusha, Tanzania.
In her 25-year career as a Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist, she has practiced in multiple psychiatric care settings, mostly serving children and families in safety-net clinics. She received her MSN from University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and her PhD from Wayne State University in Detroit. She has been the PI of HRSA and Minnesota Department of Health projects to increase the number of psychiatric APRNs ready to work in underserved rural and urban areas of Minnesota.
