Navigating Mental Health Care

Karen J. Foli, Ph.D., R.N., a leading nurse theorist on psychological trauma, is the inaugural Louise Herrington Endowed Chair in Mental Health Nursing, the first endowed chair position in the history of Baylor’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON).

The Endowed Chair was established by Russell and Esther Rogers through a $1.5 million gift from the family of the School’s namesake, Louise Herrington Ornelas, with matching support through the Give Light Campaign’s Illuminate Chair Matching Program. The endowed chair was created to support innovative research and teaching within the LHSON, with a special focus on mental and behavioral health research, including the need for more mental health professionals.

An established researcher in the mental health of adoptive and kinship parents, as well as nurses’ psychological traumas, Foli brings to the LHSON significant extramural funding and publications that demonstrate her commitment to education and mentorship. She also will work collaboratively with researchers across the University and continue research surrounding psychological trauma, substance use in nurses and substance use education for nursing students, among other areas.

“I am a nurse first and foremost, and the professional identity that I embrace is to help others, which also aligns with my Christianity,” Foli said. “My research findings aim to improve quality of life and reduce suffering. To be given this opportunity is something I am incredibly grateful for because I see it as a way of serving others.”