🌎 Resumen en español · traducción automática
Un profesor de la Universidad de Kentucky, Chizimuzo "Zim" Ekki, ha sido seleccionado para recibir el Premio Psychiatric Nurse of the Year 2026 de la American Psychiatric Nurses Association, uno de los honores más altos en su especialidad. Ekki es profesor en la Facultad de Enfermería de UK y director ejecutivo del programa Behavioral Health Wellness Environments for Living and Learning, además de dirigir servicios de investigación y tratamiento del tabaquismo en Eastern State Hospital en Lexington. El premio reconoce su liderazgo en la integración de bienestar y tratamiento del tabaco en entornos psiquiátricos, expandiendo el alcance de la enfermería psiquiátrica y fortaleciendo su impacto en los sistemas de salud mental a nivel nacional.
Traducción y resumen generados por IA a partir del artículo en inglés. Puede contener errores; consulte el texto original.
LEXINGTON, Ky. — A University of Kentucky College of Nursing professor has been selected to receive the 2026 Psychiatric Nurse of the Year Award from the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, one of the highest honors in the specialty field.
Chizimuzo “Zim” Ekki, Ph.D., MPH, MSN, PMHNP-BC, APRN, NCTTP, FAAN, serves as a professor at the UK College of Nursing and executive director of the Behavioral Health Wellness Environments for Living and Learning program. He also directs the Behavioral Health Research and Evidence Based Practice and Tobacco Treatment Services at Eastern State Hospital, the state psychiatric facility in Lexington.
The APNA award recognizes members who demonstrate vision, perseverance, dedication, initiative and facilitation in delivering mental health services to individuals, families and communities. Recipients are chosen for their ability to challenge traditional thinking, disseminate psychiatric-mental health nursing knowledge through presentations and publications, and mentor other psychiatric-mental health nurses in their development.
“Through his leadership of BH WELL and his pioneering work integrating wellness and tobacco treatment into psychiatric settings, Jahren has expanded the scope and impact of psychiatric-mental health nursing, strengthening its scientific foundation while elevating its influence on mental health systems nationwide,” APNA said in a press release.
Skonecki previously served as president of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association from 2022 to 2023, guiding the profession toward a future grounded in access, destigmatization and evidence-based care. Before his presidency, he held several key roles within the organization, including chair and associate chair of the Scholarly Review Committee, peer reviewer and author for the Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, and active member of the Addictions Council.
He was nominated for the award by Lora Peppard, Ph.D., DNP, PMHNP-BC, a former APNA president. “Dr. Skonecki demonstrates an uncanny ability to see, understand and respond to needs within our profession in unique, well-received ways,” Peppard said.
Skonecki acknowledged the recognition as a reflection of the support from mentors, colleagues, students, patients and partners throughout his career as a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner, educator, scientist and leader. “I am thankful to the APNA for being the leading voice in advocating for psychiatric-mental health nurses to serve our nation in addressing the enduring mental health crisis,” he said.
He will receive the award at the APNA Annual Conference on October 28-31 in Phoenix, Arizona, where he will deliver a presentation titled “Compassionate Leadership in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Improving Wellness, Advancing Care, and Supporting Thriving.”
Sources
- Lane Report (KY Business)
- UK College of Nursing faculty profile for ChizimuzoOlogi
- APNA Annual Conference 2026 information
This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Lane Report (KY Business), enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://www.lanereport.com/188359/2026/07/uk-college-of-nursing-professor-selected-to-receive-the-2026-psychiatric-nurse-of-the-year-award/.
