Nursing faculty participate in national fellowship to advance education in emerging mental health treatments

The need for innovative approaches to mental health care is especially urgent in Arizona, which ranks near the bottom nationally for access to adult mental health services. With one in five adults experiencing mental illness and 318,000 Arizonans living with serious mental health conditions, expanding effective, evidence-based treatment options is crucial.

In response to this growing demand, a team of faculty from the University of Arizona (U of A) has been selected to participate in the University Psychedelic Education Program (U-PEP), a separate national initiative independent of the U of A. This program is funded by philanthropy and provides faculty across disciplines with the knowledge, resources, and community to incorporate emerging, evidence-based psychedelic science into academic curricula, emphasizing education rather than clinical practice.

Among those selected are the College of Nursing’s Heather Carlisle, PhD, DNP, PMHNP-BC, FNP-BC, AGACNP-BC, associate clinical professor, and Janay Young, DNP, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC, assistant clinical professor in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. Also chosen for the fellowship are the College of Education’s Michael Hartley, PhD, professor in Disability and Psychoeducational Studies, and PhD student Amy Davis, MA, LPC, in the Counselor Education and Supervision program.

The two-year fellowship, which began in March 2026, offers participants the tools and collaborative network necessary to advance education in this emerging field. Psychedelic-assisted therapies are still actively being researched and reviewed by regulators and are not yet widely implemented in clinical practice.

“This fellowship highlights the innovative work across our college and the vital role nursing plays in shaping the future of mental health care,” said Brian Ahn, PhD, dean of the College of Nursing. “Our faculty are leading efforts to prepare clinicians to critically evaluate and responsibly engage with emerging and evolving areas of treatment.”

“Our students are increasingly facing questions from patients about psychedelic therapies, partly due to widespread media coverage,” said Carlisle. “There is a lot of excitement, but also a need for clear, evidence-based guidance. The goal is to ensure that our graduates are well informed, can thoughtfully interpret emerging data, and are prepared to hold responsible, patient-centered discussions about these innovative treatments.” 

Young says, “This fellowship provides a valuable opportunity to responsibly connect emerging scientific evidence with academic education. Through collaboration between nursing and education, we aim to prepare students to engage with psychedelic-assisted therapies in a safe, ethical, and patient-centered way."

Although research over the past two decades has examined the therapeutic potential of psychedelic substances for conditions such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorders, formal education in this area remains limited in many professional training programs. Participation in U-PEP will help address this gap by enhancing curriculum development within the College of Nursing’s graduate programs, enabling students to understand the latest evidence and ethical considerations.

“Opportunities like this strengthen our curriculum and broaden what is possible for our students,” said Lindsay Bouchard, DNP, PMHNP-BC, DNP program director and interim chair. “This work positions our DNP program to stay responsive in preparing practice-ready clinicians in a rapidly changing healthcare landscape.”

“Dr. Carlisle's and Young’s participation demonstrates a strong commitment to improving both education and clinical practice,” added Sara Edmund, DNP, FNP, PMHNP-BC, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) specialty coordinator for the DNP program. “Their role in this fellowship will help ensure our students are prepared to address emerging areas of care in a thoughtful and evidence-based way.”

For both Carlisle and Young, the fellowship is both a professional milestone and an opportunity to engage in a growing national conversation. “Being part of a cohort that includes institutions like Johns Hopkins and Yale University positions the U of A to thoughtfully engage with this emerging area of study,” Young said.

As the fellowship advances, faculty can incorporate this knowledge into graduate education, preparing future clinicians to handle complex patient questions and new treatment methods with clarity, critical thinking, and a strong foundation in evidence and ethics.