New psychiatric nurse practitioner welcomed to campus
TU’s Kaye-De-Ann Rattray wants you to know there is strength in asking for help.
By GRACE HOGGARTH '22 on October 10, 2023
Kaye-De-Ann Rattray always knew she had a passion for helping others, but it wasn’t until after she volunteered at a clinic in Guatemala she knew nursing was her dream.
Rattray completed her undergraduate and graduate nursing education at New York University’s Rory Meyers College of Nursing through their psychiatric nurse practitioner program. She also holds a master’s degree in counseling.
Now, Rattray serves as TU’s psychiatric nurse practitioner alongside psychiatrist Dr. Jason Emejuru in the Health Center. Rattray’s dedication to holistic health practices is a large part of why she was drawn to Towson University.
"It is a really innovative move [for TU] to take such a holistic and integrative approach, to be invested in the well-being of the students and understand academic success is tied to your mental health and your physical health,” she says. “The team is so open to recognizing that there is this need. We want to support our students, and we’re going to do everything we can to figure out the best way to do that.”
“We don’t have to be a one-man show. We don’t have to be Superman or Superwoman; we can say ‘I need help’ and there are people who really want to help us.”
In a typical week at the office, Rattray meets with students, participates in collaborative meetings with the Health Center and Counseling Center teams and builds resources that best meet individual student's needs. The cross collaboration between the Health Center and Counseling Center is key to ensuring students’ health and well-being are supported.
Overall, she is grateful and proud to be in a student-facing position where she can contribute to destigmatizing mental health, especially for students. She wants students to know it is okay to be depressed and have anxiety, and these challenges are not the entirety of who they are. Rattray wants to inspire students who aim to work in the mental health field. “I hope I can be someone who assures them that, ‘it’s okay to talk about mental health,’ to have a diagnosis, and to work and help people with mental health issues.”
The decision to add Rattray to the Health Center team was part of an overall goal to meet and support students where they are with collaborative care rooted in psychiatry. Anthony Skevakis, associate vice president of student affairs and dean of students says, “You need someone who is qualified, who has the students’ best interests at heart and someone who is able to work in an atmosphere with the right tools and can network with the Counseling Center, the Health Center and the Dean of Students Office.”
To achieve this, medical director Dr. Suzanne Caccamese and Health Center Director Yu-ling Shao were recruited to TU and have since worked with their teams to build and sustain a collaborative care model.
According to Shao, the Health Center and psychiatry team use the model to provide “timely, effective, highly accessible and destigmatized psychiatric services to students within the primary care setting of the Towson University Student Health Center.”
Rattray understands it can be challenging to feel heard but wants students to know TU is committed to hearing what they say they need and acting on it to provide an open and safe space for all.
Together, the Health Center and Counseling Center work hard to provide the best care for students and encourage students to utilize the invaluable resources available to them.
RESOURCES
The following resources are available to all Towson University students.