PhD, RN, CNS, PMH-BC , Doctoral (Alumni)
Beverly Patchell, PhD, RN, CNS, PMH-BC is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, born and raised in the area of the Cherokee Nation capital of Tahlequah, OK. Her family survived the Trail of Tears, Oklahoma settlement and land allotment, boarding schools and the termination policies of the United States government and the State of Oklahoma. She has been reared in the traditional ways of Cherokee storytelling, ceremonies, and medicine. Through her work with tribes from across the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii, she has learned the ways of many tribal traditions from these diverse groups.
In the mainstream culture, Dr. Patchell received her bachelors and masters of Science in nursing from the University of Oklahoma. She has been a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Psychiatric/Mental Health nursing for 20 years and has certifications in the Psychiatric and Mental Health care of Children and Adolescents and in Nursing Administration, Advanced, through the American Nurses Credentialing Center
Dr. Patchell is a Past President of the National Alaska Native American Indian Nurses Association (NANAINA) and received her PhD from the New Mexico State University School of Nursing with a focus on Health Disparities and Border Issues with vulnerable populations. Her research area of interest is in how the confluence of cultural history, education, and belief systems interact and effect identity formation in American Indian children and youth and influence illness and disease.