I am a full professor in the School of Nursing at University of North Carolina Wilmington. I have been there for about 18 years. I completed my PhD in Nursing from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in 2013. My main area of nursing expertise (26 years) is psychiatric-mental health that covers a wide spectrum of both acute and outpatient child-adolescent and adult populations. I have worked with individuals who have substance use disorders (SUDs) and their families. I am a certified clinical nurse specialist with expertise in conducting psychotherapy with children, adolescents, and young adults. My research area and publications include: adolescent and young adult psychosocial well-being and risk-taking behaviors, parental mental illness and SUDs and the impact on psychosocial well-being of their children. I have also done work on community interventions for improving the physical and psychosocial wellness of individuals with severe and persistent mental illness.