Dr. Katy Phillips Wins APNA Award for Excellence in Research and Scholarship

The Fairfield University professor integrates her work on mental wellness and resilience into classroom practice, improving nursing education and clinical outcomes.

Kathryn E. Phillips, PhD, APRN, CHSE, professor of nursing at the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies, was honored by the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) with the 2025 Award for Excellence in Research and Scholarship. The annual award celebrates psychiatric mental health nurses whose research has impacted the field of mental health care.

“It’s an honor to receive this recognition of my work by a national organization,” Dr. Phillips said. “This wonderful validation energizes and inspires me to keep exploring and contributing to the discipline of nursing.”

The principal investigator of a $2.59 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Dr. Phillips’ research focuses on designing an effective curriculum that fosters resilience-building, increasing the number of certified nurse practitioners, and building and sustaining strong academic-clinical partnerships to train the next generation of these nurses. The overarching objective is to improve clinical outcomes.

The grant supports the development of resilience modules, which are integrated in the curricula of the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMH-NP) and Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) programs. It also provides tuition support for students within those graduate programs.

“We’ve heard excellent feedback from our clinical partners about our students’ preparation and skill set,” Dr. Phillips said. “The grant curriculum is providing benefits for students, clinical preceptors, and patients. Seeing the positive ripple effects of improved well-being in these populations keeps me motivated to continue refining the curriculum to ensure the best educational experience for students and improved clinical outcomes for patients.”

In addition to the HRSA grant project, Dr. Phillips studies post-traumatic growth and eating disorders. She has published more than 30 articles in peer-reviewed nursing journals, co-wrote and co-edited a book on mothers’ resilience, serves as chair of the APNA Research and Scholarship Steering Committee as well as on the editorial board of the Journal of American Psychiatric Nurses Association, and is an associate editor for Archives of Psychiatric Nursing.

Conveying appreciation for her APNA Award, Dr. Phillips was quick to acknowledge those who have supported her and to express her desire to pay it forward: “Mentorship from my colleagues helped to make this recognition possible, and I’m grateful for their support and guidance. In turn, I feel called to support the development of the next generation of nurse researchers. When we collaborate in service to others and our profession, that synergy can bring positive change to individual lives and the health of communities.”

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