Dr. Eugenia Flores Millender traces a path from a young nurse searching for her voice to a force reshaping psychiatric-mental health care. An Afro-Indigenous Latina from Panama, she brings lived experience to the front lines of innovation—championing culturally grounded care, trauma-informed healing, and data-driven solutions. Today, she is a national and international leader advancing mental-health equity, building systems that meet communities where they are, and setting a new standard for how mental health care is delivered.

She calls on nurses to claim their rightful role not only as part of the conversation, but as architects, leading AI and digital-health design and shaping the systems that will define mental-health care for generations, nationally and globally.

Authentic, hopeful, and filled with hard-earned wisdom, this conversation is a moving reflection on what it means to nurse the future — with courage, compassion, and purpose.

Learn more about Dr. Eugenia Flores Millender at https://emfp.org/about-us/national-advisory-committee/eugenia-millender

Nurses can earn free Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) credits for listening to this episode. Full details will be announced at the end of the season.

From her early nursing experiences in Tampa, Florida, to her advocacy for culturally responsive and compassionate care, Nephetalie shares how listening with empathy—and asking, “What happened to you?” instead of “What’s wrong with you?”—can change everything.

Discover how nurses can break cycles of trauma, address stigma in communities of color, and bring healing to both patients and themselves through mindfulness, empathy, and advocacy. Nephetalie also discusses how technology and telehealth can integrate trauma-informed practices and what it means to “nurse the future” in today’s rapidly evolving mental health landscape.

Tune in for a heartfelt conversation that reminds us that every patient’s story matters—and that healing begins with understanding.

Learn more about Nephetalie Jules at https://emfp.org/mfp-fellows/nephetalie-jules

Nurses can earn free Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) credits for listening to this episode. Full details will be announced at the end of the season.

Substance use disorder is one of the most pressing health challenges in rural America. According to the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), nearly 65% of all federally designated primary care shortage areas are in rural communities, and more than 60% of mental health professional shortage areas are rural as well (HRSA, March 31, 2025). These provider shortages are persistent and growing, leaving millions of Americans without timely or reliable access to behavioral health services—even as rural communities continue to experience high rates of substance use and related harms.

In this episode of Mental Health Trailblazers: Psychiatric Nurses Speak Up!, Dr. Serge Wandji, MFP at the American Nurses Association alumnus and nurse scientist, shares with host Indrias Kassaye how his early research uncovered the struggles of rural Black men living with addiction. Today, his work expands to underserved communities across the rural South, showing how untreated substance use destabilizes families, harms children, and weakens entire communities.

Dr. Wandji discusses why behavioral health must be integrated into primary care, how nurses and behavioral health specialists can apply research to real-world rural settings, and the importance of community-driven, culturally grounded approaches to recovery. According to Dr. Wandji, breaking the silence around substance use in rural America is the first step toward building healthier, more resilient communities.

Learn more about Dr. Serge Wandji at https://emfp.org/mfp-fellows/serge-wandji

For more information on access to care and mental health professional shortages, visit:

https://bhw.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/bureau-health-workforce/state-of-the-primary-care-workforce-report-2024.pdf

https://data.hrsa.gov/Default/GenerateHPSAQuarterlyReport

https://data.hrsa.gov/topics/health-workforce/nchwa/ahrf

Nurses can earn free Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) credits for listening to this episode. Full details will be announced at the end of the season.