April Gerlock PhD, PMHNP-BC, ARNP

I started working as an inpatient psychiatric nurse in the 70’s. After finishing my MA at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, I embarked on a career with the Department of Veterans Affairs as a Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist. I started my work just as the DSM III came out and added a new diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). My career within the VA focused on working with men and women veterans with PTSD. As my work evolved, I developed an anger management intervention and then moved into providing intimate partner violence perpetration offender treatment for active duty military and veterans. I held several national positions to include the chairperson of the Advanced Practice Nursing Advisory Group and the Multidisciplinary Advisory Group; as well as a member of the Veterans’ Health Administration Central Office Mental Health Queri, Executive Committee. I was a preceptor to University of Washington PMHNP students from the 1980’s through early 2000, and received my Ph.D. from the University of Washington, School of Nursing in 1999. I conducted research and was a funded principal investigator and was a core investigator, HSR&D, NW Center of Excellence for VA Puget Sound Healthcare System. I served in several additional research capacities to include a grant associate investigator with a TriService Nursing Research Program Grant with the Department of Defense. I was awarded the Linda Saltzman Memorial Intimate Partner Violence Research Award in 2014. I have provided consultation for research and training nationally and was a senior consultant to the Battered Women’s Justice Project. One of my career highlights was accompanying a group of veterans who had served in Vietnam back to Vietnam in 1989. A documentary, “Two Decades and a Wake-Up” was produced as well as a special on Nightline, ABC.

Education: 
BSN, University of Iowa
MA, University of Iowa
PhD, University of Washington

Awards, accolades and distinguished memberships:
Linda B. Saltzman Memorial Intimate Partner Violence Research Award

What classes do you teach?
DNP-PMHNP Program

What do you love about the UW School of Nursing?
I love the level of support and team spirit, and the high academic standards.

 

Department

Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Informatics

Research Areas

• Innovative Interventions
• Health Equity

Research Centers

• de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging
• NW Roybal Center for Translational Research on Aging