Andrea Kwasky elected president-elect of American Nurses Association

Andrea Kwasky, a professor in the McAuley School of Nursing at University of Detroit Mercy, is president-elect of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, the largest professional organization representing psychiatric-mental health nurses in the United States.

In the national leadership role, Kwasky will help guide the association’s strategic priorities and advance its mission to improve mental health care through the expertise and leadership of psychiatric-mental health nurses. Following her term as president-elect, she will serve as APNA president, providing national leadership and representing psychiatric-mental health nursing at a time of growing need for accessible, evidence-based and compassionate mental health care.

Kwasky brings more than two decades of experience as a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner, educator, scholar and advocate to the position. Her work at UDM has focused on psychiatric nursing education, suicide prevention, student and health care professional well-being, simulation-based learning and efforts to reduce stigma surrounding mental illness.

“My leadership is grounded in evidence-based practice and mission-driven service,” Kwasky said. “As president-elect for APNA, I will uphold the mission and vision of the organization and utilize this opportunity to highlight psychiatric nursing as a critical voice in healthcare while supporting nurses through ongoing workforce opportunities and challenges.”