Dr. Maureen Donohue-Smith, associate professor of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, has had many years as a staff nurse and clinical specialist in a variety of private and public inpatient and emergency psychiatric settings. As a faculty member for over 20 years in both Human Services and Nursing, she has focused on the development of strategies for effective service delivery to vulnerable populations. Her current clinical interests include the integration of mental health in primary care settings, psychological issues affecting the outcomes of bariatric surgery, the psychological impact of exercise on mental health, and the psychological response to physical illness. Her teaching and research interests include the medical humanities and the use of literature and film to enrich student learning. Her most recent research outlines the strengths and challenges of using the mental illness memoir as a true representation of mental illness from the viewpoint of the sufferer. She has used both mainstream Hollywood films and children’s literature as sources of data for understanding societal messages about mental illness, child abuse, and aging. She has served as program evaluator for several federal demonstration projects: one to develop community interventions to prevent child abuse, one to establish a Family Drug Treatment Court, and one to establish a consumer-run, community-based respite hostel for individuals with psychiatric disability. Dr. Donohue-Smith is currently pursuing certification as a Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She is a member of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau and the Madness and Literature network

Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing, Medical Humanities, Program Planning and Evaluation