Abelard Selected as a Fellow and Elected President of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association New England Chapter

Gabrielle Abelard, associate professor and immediate past faculty president of the UMass Amherst Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, is the new president of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) New England Chapter. She has also been recognized as a Distinguished Fellow of the National Academies of Practice (NAP) in nursing.

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APNA’s mission is to provide leadership to all psychiatric mental health nurses. The professional association focuses on education, charity, scientific research and diversity. The association drives their efforts toward supporting psychiatric mental health nurses, treatment, prevention and improving mental health care and outreach. From their website, “APNA champions psychiatric-mental health nursing and mental health care through the development of positions on key issues, the dissemination of current knowledge and developments in PMH nursing, and collaboration with stakeholders to promote advances in recovery-focused assessment, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of persons with mental health disorders.”

As a NAP Fellow, Abelard has been recognized as a distinguished practitioner and leader in nursing and in interprofessional care; she has been recognized by colleagues from within the association. NAP is a nonprofit organization established to advise government bodies about the healthcare system. NAP extends membership to esteemed professionals in practice and research to foster an aligned, well-rounded, accessible healthcare system.

Abelard's efforts have been acknowledged with several prestigious awards: National Black Nurses Association, Nurse Entrepreneur of the Year (2022), Massachusetts Nurses Association, Manning Mentoring Award 2022; STRIDE and ADVANCE Faculty Fellow Awards, UMass Amherst 2021; APNA New England, Nancy Valentine Excellence in Leadership Award 2020; and Young Haitian Professional of the Year 2019, US Haitian Chamber of Commerce.