SCHOLAR DIRECTORY

Tanya Stevenson-Gaines retired from the United States Navy after serving 26 years as a Nurse Corps Officer in October 2015. She began nursing studies at California State University-Fresno, where she earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in nursing education degrees. During military service, she provided nursing care in maternal-newborn and ambulatory care settings, and worked as a personnel developer in staff education and training. Tanya Stevenson-Gaines served in multiple leadership roles as Division Officer of maternal-newborn, military medicine, and health promotion; Department Head of Staff Education and Training, Operational Medicine, and Maternal-Infant Nursing, and as Senior Nurse Executive in a Naval Hospital. Her senior clinical focus in undergraduate studies was psychiatric nursing. Returning to her passion in nursing, she is pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) at Hahn School of Nursing, University of San Diego. Her planned DNP Scholarly Project focuses on behavioral weight loss intervention for individuals with severe mental illness in an ambulatory environment with active duty and veteran healthcare beneficiaries. As a Health Promotion Director, Tanya Stevenson-Gaines earned Navy and Environmental Health Center (NEHC) Bronze Anchor and Silver Eagle Awards for program excellence. She is certified as a maternal-newborn nurse, and is also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. She is authorized to wear the following Navy and Marine Corps service awards: Meritorious Service Medal (2), Commendation Medal (5), and Achievement Medal.