Karen Corcoran, associate professor of nursing and director of the psychiatric mental program at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, Connecticut, received the Award for Excellence in Education from the American Psychiatric Nurses Association. Presented annually, the honor recognizes leaders in psychiatric mental health nursing who are advancing education, leadership, research, and patient care nationwide.
Dr. Corcoran focuses her academic research on graduate nursing education specifically related to simulation, telehealth, and wellness. A psychiatric nurse practitioner, she also has a private practice where she specializes in anxiety, depression, life transitions, cancer and chronic illness, and loss, grief, and bereavement.
Before joining the USJ faculty in 2025, Dr. Corcoran was assistant dean of graduate studies, director of the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner program, and an assistant professor of the practice at her alma mater, Fairfield University in Connecticut, where she earned both her bachelor’s degree and doctor of nursing practice degree.