Tanya R. Sorrell

PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, NP-C , Doctoral (Alumni)

Tanya R. Sorrell, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, NP-C, is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry, and Assistant Director of the Great Lakes NIH NIDA Clinical Trials Network node, recently joining Rush University from the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, College of Nursing. 

Her doctoral training is in rural and urban underserved Mental Health and Substance use services research, with a minor in Complementary and Integrative Behavioral Health practices for Latino groups. Trilingual in English, Spanish, and French, she helped to develop and taught a graduate nursing course in Cultural Competence in Psychiatric assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for all CU F/Psych NPs, and provided course content/lectures to other RN/NP students in mental health and cultural competency throughout the CON curricula. 

Her clinical and education work led to state and national accolades as she serves on national SAMHSA committees for Cultural Competence in Nursing Care and the SAMHSA Minority Fellowship Program Advisory Group.  She is a consultant and the past PI of a $5 million state-wide Colorado Legislative funded Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Services Program, a project to increase substance use treatment services with 40 agencies in 17 rural Colorado counties. They’ve served over 1500 clients so far, and have amended their services with creative strategies to reach clients during COVID-19.  New clinical research at Rush will include improving Latino health outcomes through cultural care strategies for Substance Use Treatment. 

Her publication record reflects her interests in increasing cultural humility behavioral outcomes in graduate clinical providers and translational research interests in behavioral health care and services utilization using culturally- based approaches to improve the overall behavioral health/substance outcomes of rural/urban under-served populations.