Deborah Eti, PhD, FNP, PMHNP

Deb Eti is a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner and a faculty member at Washington State University. Her interest in the Collaborative Care model stems from her commitment to advancing mental health care and in the importance of interdisciplinary teamwork to improve patient outcomes. She is passionate about integrating mental health services into primary care settings, recognizing that collaborative approaches are essential in addressing the complex needs of patients. She hopes to see integrated care implemented within her organization and introduced into health professions education curriculums.

Kristina Hansen, MSN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC

Kristina Hansen is a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) who recently graduated with her PMHNP certification, she provides comprehensive primary care to individuals and families of all ages. Her clinical responsibilities include conducting physical exams, diagnosing and treating acute and chronic illnesses, managing preventive care, and offering health education and counseling.

She has a deep interest in Collaborative Care and Integrated Care models because they align with her commitment to providing comprehensive and holistic patient care. These models emphasize the integration of physical and mental health services, interdisciplinary teamwork, and patient-centered approaches, which she believes are crucial for improving patient outcomes and overall healthcare delivery.

Through this fellowship program, she aims to:

  • Enhance her understanding of Collaborative Care and Integrated Care models.
  • Develop advanced skills in coordinating care across different healthcare disciplines.
  • Learn best practices for implementing and managing integrated care systems.
  • Gain insights into addressing social determinants of health and improving access to care for underserved populations.

Her participation in this fellowship program will enable her to:

  • Implement evidence-based Collaborative Care models in her practice, improving coordination and quality of care.
  • Train and mentor other healthcare professionals in integrated care principles, fostering a culture of teamwork and holistic care.
  • Address gaps in care by developing programs that integrate mental health services into primary care settings, improving accessibility and outcomes for patients with complex health needs.

In five years, she hopes to see Collaborative Care and Integrated Care models widely adopted and seamlessly integrated into primary care practices. This vision includes:

  • Enhanced Training: Increased training and education programs for healthcare professionals in integrated care principles, ensuring a well-prepared workforce.
  • Improved Access: Expanded access to integrated care services, particularly in underserved and rural areas, reducing health disparities and improving outcomes.

Erika Giraldo, DNP, PMHNP

Erika Giraldo was a RN for about 20 years starting out as an Active Duty officer in the Navy working in ICU, telemetry, medical-surgical wards, outpatient clinics and as a hospital House Supervisor and then transitioned to a civilian nurse and worked in cardiac telemetry and home health.  Erika decided to go back to school for her Master’s and Doctorate degrees at the University of Washington as she wanted to help other families navigate the IEP process for children and recognized a critical need for child psychiatric providers. Since 2010, she has practiced as a Family Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner in an outpatient psychiatric setting seeing patients across the lifespan. For the last 6 years, she has treated patients on Saturdays while starting a new career working as a Clinical Practice Liaison for a neuroscience biopharmaceutical company. Erika is now in a Director role leading a team of clinical practice medical science liaisons. She has had the opportunity to contribute to several strategic internal projects and has an interest in Health Economics and Outcomes Research. She also volunteers on an Advisory Counsil for the HER Foundation, supporting women and their families who suffer with Hyperemesis Gravidarum.

 The greatest advantage of integrative care is allowing more access for patients to receive evidence based psychiatric care. She is thankful for this program allowing nurse practitioners to work collaboratively with physicians in this unique fellowship. This will provide her with additional training, knowledge and skills to lead or provide collaborative care in her community.

 Her greatest achievement of course, is being a mother and grandmother and that she is “happy” with where she is now, personally and professionally. She is very proud of her military service. She has learned so much over the years through her experiences with family, friends, occupations, co-workers and her community and is open to continuing to learn and grow.

 Erika’s favorite family vacation is going to Disneyworld. She never gets tired of pineapple dole whips or riding the Haunted Mansion ride. They especially love going during Halloween and Christmas and immersing themselves in the magical experience.

Robert “Bob” Mitchell, PA

Robert Mitchell has practiced as a physician assistant for more than 20 years in various areas including family practice, occupational medicine, psychiatry and correctional medicine. His current primary work is in corrections in a county jail providing healthcare needs for residents there. 

He hopes to gain skills and inertia to pull together skills and formula for collaboration that works best in correctional setting care including the effective treatment of mental health disorders. 

With luck he will be able to further demonstrate the importance of the role of Collaborative Care in providing services in a county jail or correctional setting. 

Over the next several years hopefully the efficiency of collaborative care will be increasingly demonstrated and recognized among best practices.

Christopher Ajadi, MSN, ARNP, PMHNP-BC

Christopher Ajadi’s journey in mental healthcare spans over 30years through continents and cultures. He is filled with gratitude for the diverse experiences that have shaped him into who he is today. Originally from Nigeria, his nursing career has taken him on a transformative path through the Republic of Ireland, England, and finally to the United States in 2007 and to South Korea through the US army. These global encounters have instilled in him a deep appreciation for the universal language of compassion and care, inspiring him to seek continuous growth and advancement in mental health.

Christopher’s educational journey has been marked by a relentless pursuit of knowledge and excellence. Starting from Nigeria and a post-master’s degree in psychiatric/mental health nursing at Maryville University, a pivotal step that propelled him towards his goal of becoming a proficient mental health nurse practitioner.

Through each educational milestone, he honed his clinical skills, deepened his theoretical understanding, and nurtured a passion for holistic patient care. His academic experiences have not only equipped him with the necessary tools to address the complex challenges of mental health but have also inspired him with a sense of purpose to advocate for vulnerable populations and promote mental wellness in all healthcare settings.

He is greatly excited and proud to be part of the fellowship program of the University of Washington in community-based integrated care to expand his skills, knowledge and understanding in a more holistic approach to healthcare, focusing on the intersection of mental health and community-based services. It is with great enthusiasm and determination to work alongside other healthcare professionals to achieve this dream.

YunYun Lu, MSN, ARNP, RN, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC

YunYun Lu is a dual-certifiedFNP and PMHNP, currently working as a PMHNP atWashington Corrections Center For Women. Her daily panel includes initial psychiatric assessments for the new inmates, consultations with primary care providers, and medication adjustment appointments. Most of her patients have dual diagnoses with a history of substance use and major mental illnesses, which are common reasons for them to be incarcerated. She also has perinatal patients who came in with pregnancy status, and after their babies were born, some of them get to keep the baby in our mother-baby unit and raise them. In addition, she is proud that to provide gender-affirming mental health treatment for over 100 transgender patients in WCCW as well. The opportunity to work with those complex, treatment-resistant patientschallenges her skills and knowledge every day, but it is also very satisfying whenthey have an improvement in symptom relief and function better in their lives, work, and academics.

Jessica Gonzales, ARNP

Jessica Gonzales is a PMHNP currently working in a private practice setting, in a telehealth setting since the beginning of the pandemic, mostly doing medication management, and diagnosing.

Marlene Bergman, PMHNP-BC

Marlene Bergman worked as a midwife for many years before she transitioned to psychiatry/mental health. She started out working in addiction medicine and then transitioned to women’s mental health. She worked with a variety of people who identify as female with many different mental health disorders from the ages of 15 to 92.

Marlene’s interest in collaborative/integrated care began when she was working as a midwife. She desperately wanted Collaborative Care when patients needed to transfer to a higher level of care than she could provide. The transition was not always easy for them, and she felt that if we were able to work collaboratively then the transition would be a lot easier not only for the patient, but also for the doctor. Now that she is a provider, she feels collaboration between mental health and internal medicine can help us to provide even better person-centered care than individually.

Her participation in this program will help to develop better communication and skills for all to feel more comfortable working together, sharing ideas and providing better care.

She would like to see Collaborative Care/integrated care in all UW clinics. More providers working together and using their specialties to encompass the whole patient, not just certain parts of them at a time.

Chipepo Mugala, PA-C

Chipepo Mugala is a graduate of UW Medex Physician Assistant Program 2015. She has spent the last 7 years splitting her time between her two passions, acute care medicine in Urgent Care Settings and Behavioral Medicine. Since 2017, Chipepo has been serving as a psychiatric prescriber in SOUND’s Community Network Program (CNP) serving individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (ID and DD) living in King County. SOUND is a nonprofit community mental health provider serving individuals with mental and substance use disorders. She was recruited to SOUND’s CNP program by her mentor, Dale Sanderson PA-C recently retired psychiatric prescriber from CNP program, whom she met when she was a medical case manager working with ID clients supported by Alpha Supported living Services, a community based supported living agency for IDD clients.

Matthew Gunther, MD, MA

Dr. Matthew Gunther joined the faculty as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine in July 2023. He completed his residency training at the University of Southern California and a Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Fellowship at Stanford University. His interests in psychiatry include critical care, integrated care, neuropsychiatry, medical education, and psychopharmacology. Dr. Gunther works in the Integrated Behavioral Health program, with particular focus on resident-based primary care clinics. In addition, he is an attending on the Critical Care and Inpatient Consult-Liaison Psychiatry services. 

Dr. Gunther became interested in integrated care during residency and is excited to continue this work as an attending physician. He is particularly interested in improving access to psychiatric services for patients with limited resources and providing education to non-psychiatric providers on how to provide effective mental health treatment. He hopes to gain knowledge and expertise in effectively growing and managing an integrated care program, as well as further hone educational skills in teaching the integrated care models to trainees of all disciplines.

Through this program, Dr. Gunther hopes to effectively deliver and expand the services currently offered at Stanford to meet the needs of our growing population beyond the primary care clinics. Additionally, he plans to utilize this knowledge to train others in the integrated care model with a focus on sustainability and expansion. In the future, Dr. Gunther hopes integrated care becomes the new “standard of care” for mental health treatment, especially those with limited access to specialized psychiatric services.